Crash
by FrostSinth
Summary: When a mysterious artifact lights up the night sky in Faerun, Artemis Entreri finds himself dragged along on another "adventure". But after being separated from his companions, he finds himself on a completely different journey than he could ever have expected.
1. The one where he's found

_Leaves…. Sunlight…. Air….. Pain…. No…. I'm….I'm moving…._

_Sunlight…. Blinding….. Arrgghhhhh….. Uhnnnn….. Must keep…..keep…..must…. c-can't…._

… _Trees…. Blue Sky….. Uhhhnnnn-Argh! Don't move….. Darkness...sleep…._

The sound of a soft breeze through the leaves was all he heard the first time he woke. He drew in a slow, painful breath. Then winced. Everything hurt. He couldn't even pinpoint what hurt more, or where the pain was coming from. His side? His leg? All he felt at that moment was blinding pain. Every body part seemed no different than the next.

A soft groan escaped his lips as he tried to will his body into motion. He had to move… had to get somewhere safe. If he managed to so much as twitch a pinky, he couldn't tell. His eyelids opened ever so slightly, just to snap shut again at the blinding white light that filled them. No… wait…. D-don't…. Sleep….

The smell of dirt was the next thing he woke up to. Strong, but comforting. Like a hole in the ground. A safe little hole…. His head throbbed, and he gritted his teeth slightly, trying to make sense of the flood of information assaulting him. Dirt. Yes, he could smell dirt. But when he managed to locate his fingers and wiggle them, ever so slightly, it didn't feel like dirt. No… cloth…

A soft sound filled his ears. He couldn't place it. Not the wind, no. Talking? No, not talking either. More like voices. … no, that was wrong too. Not voices. Voice.

Focusing all his strength into one eye, he slowly cracked it open. The blinding light made him blink it rapidly, but beyond the white light shapes began to form. They stayed blurry, but he thought he could make out…. Metal? A ceiling…. Gritting his teeth against the still overwhelming pain, he managed to turn his head slightly. Piles of… things… he couldn't make them out. A distant bright light. Square. The door? Or just a window….The edges of his view were smudged, as if he looked through a dirty glass.

He could feel his strength ebbing away again, could feel unconsciousness reaching for him again. No...Not yet… Not…

The third time he woke, he could draw a deeper breath, though his sides still felt tight. As if he were in some strange vice. He could hear the wind in the trees again. Nearby. And that other sound…. A voice? But different. The same voice, he recognized it, but it wasn't someone speaking. He still couldn't place it, couldn't make sense with all the throbbing in his head. He could tell, though, that it was more distant.

His eyes opened more easily this time, both of them, feeding his throbbing head another round of stabbing pain. But he stubbornly held them open, blinking away the cloudiness. He saw the metal above him again. Though now he could make out grooves and bolts. It was a ceiling made out of what looked like metal squares, interlaced and bolted together. The metal wasn't polished: it looked worn, dull, and dirty. Groaning softly, he turned his head. Piles. Piles of things. Clothes. Books. A small makeshift table with plates and pots and a strange candle. Sticks and firewood. He turned his head more, making out cloth boxes, and the strange square light he had seen before. Yes, it was a door. He could see it more clearly now.

With a gasp, he struggled to lift his head up off… a pillow. A bed of sorts, he realized. He managed to look down at his body, covered in a soft blue blanket. The ground beyond was dirt. But the walls were a rounded metal. Like the ceiling.

Something had changed, he realized dully as he felt light-headedness grabbing at his senses. He struggled to pinpoint what as he sank backwards again. The voice, he realized distantly as his head fell into the pillow once more. It had stopped. He managed to look to the doorway just in time to see a dark silhouette as sleep took him again….

No blinding light this time. Soft leaves swaying in the breeze. The quiet crackling of a fire. Crickets. He turned his head slightly to assure himself he was awake. The headache had subsided a bit, and though the rest of his body throbbed in pain, he was also more aware of it. Painfully aware, but better than the disembodied experience he had felt before.

He opened his eyes a bit, blinking away the sleep. He could just see the small fire outside the door. He stared at it for a moment, then drew as deep a breath as he could manage, turning to look about himself.

"Shhh, easy, easy," came a soft voice.

His gaze fell on her, sorting her out from the clutter around her as she moved forward upon seeing his movement. She was young, perhaps in her twenties, with round features on a dirt stained face. Her hair glittered like gold in the firelight, pulled back from her face into a tight strap at the back of her head. Her eyes were the soft blue of the cloudless sky. But he didn't know her. Her clothing was strange, her accent foreign.

He tried to form words in his mouth, but found it parched and dry. "Mmhhnngg…." He mumbled.

"Shhhh," She soothed again, coming closer. She turned, grabbing a cup, then tucked one hand gently behind his head. "Here you go. You're alright." She lifted his head and neck, helping him to sip down the liquid.

As the water touched his lips, he suddenly felt as if he had never drank a drop in his life. He gulped at it as greedily as his throat would allow it to pass, even managing to reach up one hand as if to clasp it himself. She patiently held it to his lips until his strength subsided and he collapsed back into the bed with a soft gasp. Reaching beside her, she drew a cloth and wiped what had drizzled down his chin, then dabbed with the damp cloth at his dry lips.

"W-whh…" He struggled weakly "W-whhhoo…?"

"It's alright." She assured him, placing one hand lightly on his shoulder. "I'm a friend." She pulled his blanket up tighter, brushing something off his forehead. "You're safe."

He'd have to take her word for that. He could already begin to feel the hefty weight of sleep dragging him down once more….

It was daylight again the next time he woke. Pain rippled through him, but thirst clawed more prominently at his throat. He opened his eyes, turning his head to the side where the girl had been before.

Her seat was empty, but there was a tall glass of water resting on an upturned log. He reached for it, wincing against the pain, turning halfway onto his side. His hand shook from the exertion even as it wrapped around the glass. No, not glass… some strange, delicate, clear substance. Had he more of his strength, it might have crumbled between his fingers as he grabbed it. Slowly he eased himself up onto his opposite elbow, and took several long swallows. Within a minute, the strange cup was empty, and he licked his lips almost desperately.

A sharp snapping noise drew his attention to the doorway. The girl from before entered, carrying a bundle in her arms. When she saw him awake, she quickly dumped the bundle beside the door and stepped over to him.

"You're awake again!" She told him, her voice filled with pleasure and praise.

He managed a weak nod, rolling back onto his back once more. He still clasped the cup in his hand that rested on his chest. He took a few deep breaths, as if to draw strength merely from the air around him.

"Do you want more water?" She asked him, sitting in the chair once more and picking up a pitcher. She refilled the glass without waiting for his answer, but his answer was clear as he guzzled it down.

When half the glass was gone, he lay back again with a heavy sigh. Even that had felt like climbing seven mountains in a day.

"It'll get easier." She told him, as if reading his mind. "You were very badly hurt. Still are, really." She eased the glass from his hand and returned it to the upturned stump. "But you're getting better."

"Where are we?" He asked weakly, his voice thin and hoarse even to his own ears.

She ran one hand over the top of her head, pushing aside loose strands. "Only a few miles from where I found you." She told him.

"Others?" He gasped around his dry tongue.

"What?"

"Were there others?"

"Just you that I found." She looked at him curiously. "No one else nearby that I could see."

He nodded weakly and closed his eyes, lifting one hand to rub his brow. The water had helped his headache a bit, but he didn't need this girl to tell him how badly injured he was. He could feel the dull throb of pain throughout his entire body. A dull ache that promised blinding pain should he attempt to move too much.

"You'd lost a lot of blood." She explained to him, then twirled a strand of hair between two fingers. "...I wasn't sure you were going to make it."

He opened his eyes again, looking about the strange room they were in. It was long, and narrow, almost like a tunnel, but the ceiling and walls were... metal? Now he wasn't so sure. He noticed the ground seemed to be fresh turned dirt, but only up to a point. Then the strange metal seemed to be embedded underneath it, sloping up to the ceiling in a point. His bed, barely wider than the width of his body, took up most the space. There was only a thin pass between the edge of the bed and the clutter lining the far wall. The opposite end seemed not to be the metal, but cloth instead. The more he studied it, the more he realized it was like half the room had been torn away, leaving a great big gaping hole. Which had been covered with a large, thick blanket. He had never seen anything like it.

"Where are we?" He asked again, but obviously more pointedly referring to the strange structure around them.

The girl considered the space, looking around almost hesitantly. "Just...what I could find." She offered casually. She stood then, leaning over him and pulling his blanket down. "Your bandages are still clean, but I'll change them in a bit just to be safe." She told him, touching his chest lightly as she considered the cloth there. "I don't see any signs of infection. So far, at least. And I'd like to keep it that way."

He snorted softly, watching her as she gently picked up his right arm and turned it this way and that. It was bandaged from the elbow almost to his shoulder, and there was more cloth around his palm. When she had finished, she carefully lowered it back to rest on his chest.

"I forgot to ask you your name." She smiled at him, sitting back down into her chair.

"...Artemis."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alice." She told him, reaching out to gently squeeze his hand with her's. She smiled, but he didn't return the look. Seeming unperturbed, she released his hand and stood. "You should get some more rest now. The more you rest, the more you heal."

He nodded slightly, his eyes already fighting to stay open. She said something else to him, but he had already fallen asleep by the time the words made their way from her lips to his ears. Instead, a soft sound filled his dreaming thoughts.

He wasn't sure how long he had slept, but when next he woke there was a slight chill in the air. Just beyond the small doorway, he could see the dying embers of the fire. And beyond that, a soft morning fog. A few birds chittered softly, but the day had dawned grey and, from the slow dripping he could faintly make out, wet. He turned his head to the side, and though his muscles were sore and his head complained at the movement, it was with much greater ease than he had yet managed.

The girl was lying not far away, atop a pile of cloth laid over leaves which he could just see spilling out at the edges. She was curled into a loose ball, a blanket draped over her, her fingers clinging tightly to its edge and her chin tucked into it. Her breathing was deep and slow, her golden hair tumbling about her youthful face.

He wondered at her. Wondered what her motive was for helping him. Wondered where they really were, and why she was out here all alone. Wondered what kind of strange structure they were in. Wondered where his …. He paused, searching in his thoughts for the right words. Allies? Companions? …. Friends? Shaking off the thought, he continued his wonders, merely picturing their faces and wondering where they were. Had they even bothered to look for him? Or had they been so certain he had plunged to his death?

Artemis reached one hand up to rub his face slowly, but his fingertips lingered over the busted lip, then the deep cut from his left brow to his hairline. He tenderly touched the bruises he already could feel there, then traced his hand down his throat, giving a soft sigh.

The last thing he remembered was fighting the Netherese on the cliffside. He had taken some heavy hits trying to ward them off; it wasn't easy fighting a band of tieflings on his own. Especially skilled, specialized shades. He smirked when he remembered that he had sent a fair few of the group to their graves, and others would be nursing their own grievous injuries.

One of the magic users had summoned a devil of some sort, he began to remember. Already having been so injured and exhausted, he had barely deflected its blows. The others had appeared at the last moment, chasing off or slaughtering the last of the Netherese… but the devil…

His hand went to his face again, rubbing his sore head as he tried to put together the pieces. He vaguely remembered the sharp pain in his chest. Remembered the desperate move to drive his own blades into the beast's heart. Remembered falling into the rushing river below….

Growling to himself softly, the assassin forced his body up and out of the bed, swinging his legs over to its side. He gritted his teeth against the pain and had to drop his head to his chest as the wave washed over him and threatened to knock him back into unconsciousness.

When he had finally managed to push away the blackness from the edges of his eyes, he saw the girl watching him. He scowled at her, and perhaps at another time it would have been terrifying. But with his whole body quivering just from the exertion of sitting up, it instead seemed to have no effect at all.

"You need more time to heal." She told him softly, swinging her own legs off the side of her makeshift bed, letting the blanket fall off to the side. Again he was struck by her strange clothing; form fitting, dark blue pants and a top that seemed like the upper half of a grey nightgown or undergarment with thick straps instead of sleeves and a loose draping form that reached just past her hips. Like someone had simply cut holes in a silk sack and hemmed the edges.

Artemis grunted as his reply, and stubbornly remained sitting. The girl sighed and stood, gathering some bandages from the makeshift table. There were numerous other curious instruments there, but the assassin didn't have the strength to care about them yet.

"Well, at least while you're up I can change your dressings more easily." She told him, pulling the stump over and sitting in front of him.

She gently took hold of his wrist with one hand, but he ripped it away. "Leave it." He grumbled, having to close his eyes to fight off the darkness tingling inside him again.

"Seriously?" He opened his eyes just in time to see her roll her's. "I've been taking care of you for a week and now you want me to stop?" She looked at him, raising one eyebrow "Do you have a deathwish?"

"A week?" He echoed, ignoring her questions.

She sighed, but nodded. "When I fished you out of the water it took me almost a whole day to get you back here. It's been about six since then."

Seven days. He wondered if everyone thought him dead. Part of him wished he had died out there. He had lived long past his time. But there was just that stubborn, nagging drive inside him that just wouldn't let him give up. Not without a fight. Some might call it his survival instinct. He called it the gods' way of making him suffer.

"So, if you want to get better, you're gonna have to let me do what I've been doing." She told him, breaking the silence she had allowed as he processed her words.

Artemis looked over at her, and she extended one hand out to him. He glanced at it, then scowled at her. But he put his wrist back into her waiting palm.

"Thank you."

She began nimbly and gently unwrapping the bandage around his arm. Not a real bandage, he realized. Strips of cloth she must have torn off something. As she unwound it, the tender burned skin underneath revealed itself. Parts of the cloth she had to peel off, the material having grown stuck to his body from the wet plasma secreting from the wound. He gritted his teeth against the pain and refused to flinch.

The girl glanced up at him as she reached over to a basin of clear water, dragging it closer and dropping another cloth into it. She squeezed it out then gently dabbed at the wound.

"I know it hurts." She told him softly, rinsing the cloth before bringing it back to the wound. "You don't have to pretend it doesn't."

Artemis merely glowered in response. Which, to his surprise, made her lips curl into the tiniest of smiles. As if she were amused by his threatening demeanor.

"Why are you here all alone?" He demanded instead, brushing off the unsettling feeling her tiny smile had caused him.

She didn't answer for a moment, cleaning the wound in silence. She sighed, dropping the cloth into the water and gently patting his arm with another dry cloth. "I'm the only one left, I guess."

He frowned at her. "Left of what?"

She shrugged. "It's a long story."

Artemis looked around the metal cave they seemed to be in. "What is this place?" He pressed. He wasn't interested in some long winded sob story from some estranged farmgirl.

She followed his eyes, already beginning to rebandage his arm. "I found it like this." She told him simply.

His arm freshly wrapped, she redid the small bandage on his knuckles, then moved to the loose bandage on his shoulder. This one was not wrapped about him like the arm, instead just a cloth scrap lain over it. She slowly pulled back the cloth, revealing the deep slice underneath. It ran from his deltoid to almost halfway down his chest. It was several inches deep in the worst of places.

"I've been wanting to better wrap this one, but I couldn't since you were laying down." She told him, picking up the cloth from the water and beginning to gently clean the wound.

"How far is the nearest village?" Artemis continued, turning his head away from her work.

She drew in a quiet breath between her teeth. "Some days walk, depending on how fast you move." She moved on to drying the wound, then pulled out a strange, colorful tube. When she squeezed it, a nearly clear paste came out of one end, and she gently wiped that onto the edges of the cut.

Artemis wondered how far down the fast flowing river he had travelled. Perhaps he had made it nearly all the way back to civilization. He looked out the doorway, but all he could make out were some trees. The ridiculousness of his adventure hit him then, and not for the first time. Find some artifact that had fallen from the sky. Before any other searching group did. No one even knew what it was. Honestly, the assassin wouldn't be surprised if it became some made up fish tale one of the locals had concocted.

"Where are you from?"

He turned back to her, having been lost in his own thoughts. But the man started when he found his face right next to her's. He tensed instinctively, until he realized she was standing and leaning over him to wrap his shoulder again. Still, the nape of her neck was just inches away from his chin, and the strands of hair that had escaped her tie toppled upon his bare shoulder. He couldn't help but breathe deep her scent, and found it as gentle as its owner. And oddly familiar to him as well, though he was sure he had not met nor certainly smelled her before.

"Far away." He muttered, turning his head away once more.

She leaned back, her wrapping done, and turned her attention to his abdomen. "So what brought you this way?"

He didn't answer, grunting softly as she peeled off the cloth on his stomach. The gash there wasn't as deep as his shoulder, but it's edges were still tinted black from the poison that coated the devil's blade. She cleaned it, then applied the same paste, before wrapping it up. The motion of winding the cloth about him brought her dangerously close to him again. This time her shoulder tucked under his chin, and he could feel the warmth of her skin as her arms brushed against him. It was like a teasing hug; never was she fully wrapping her arms about him, but he could still feel the heat of her body. His stomach rolled.

"So I answer your questions, but you don't answer mine? That's how this works?" She sat back, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

"Glad you understand." He replied sourly.

She snorted, shaking her head. "The dark brooding thing you got going on worked better when you were unconscious." She leaned back in again. "Now it's just annoying."

He stiffened as her head bobbed near his face, the smell of her hair filling his nose. Like flowers. Or herbs maybe. The smell of earth and woodsmoke. She carefully pulled back the cloth near his left ribs.

"I thought this one would kill you." She explained to him, dropping the soiled cloth in the pile on the ground with the others.

"Nearly did."

She nodded her agreement to his assessment and carefully began to clean the puncture wound there. The devil's sword had just barely missed his lungs and heart. But it still stung to breathe, and he knew there would be a tightness to his chest for many years.

"Well, how did you get these then?"

"...a fight."

"How enlightening."

He snorted, more in amusement than deflection. Which surprised him. But he brushed it aside and leaned back on his hands. He was starting to feel very weak and tired again.

She finished tending that wound and laid a folded cloth over it's entrypoint, then wrapped a longer cloth twice around his midsection tightly to hold it in place.

"You'll be stuck here a while yet, Mister Artemis." She told him, sitting back onto the stump. "Might as well make the best of it."

He sighed deeply as he could and she stood, walking over to one of the cloth bags he had seen early. She dug around in it for a moment with her back to him, then walked back over with some bits of meat and some berries on a strange plate.

"You'll need to start building your strength back up." She told him, offering him the food.

His stomach growled and he snatched the food out of her hands eagerly. He found a new vigor in the food, hardly bothering to chew it as he devoured it. She brought him another glass of water, which he quickly downed as well. As the food disappeared, he slowed, and by the time his plate was empty (Which was not long at all), he felt his strength ebbing. She took the plate and glass from him and he had to lay back onto the bed. Though his body cried out for sleep, his silver-grey eyes followed the girl around the strange shelter.

"Why did you help me?" He asked her bluntly, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

She didn't look at him as she adjusted the blankets around him, helping him lift his feet back into the bed. As she began to pull the blankets over his chest, he grabbed her wrist with his hand. Though he was still weak, the motion forced her to look at him.

"It was the right thing to do." She said simply, then shrugged, "Anyone would have done the same." She tugged her hand out of his and turned back to gather the soiled cloth off the ground. "Get some rest. We'll change the rest later."

He watched her for a short while longer as she dropped the rag pile into a strange container that seemed to be filled with water. She used a stick to swirl them around, then began scrubbing at them. Artemis tried to remember back to what she had said before he had last fallen asleep. Most particularly, what her name was….

...Alice, he recalled, after a few minutes. Seemed harmless enough. He sighed, closing his eyes and settling back into the pillows as his thoughts swirled and clouded. And he honestly hoped he wouldn't have to kill her. She smelled nice….

A cool cloth dabbed at his forehead, wiping away the sweat from his brow. Artemis opened his eyes to see the girl leaning over him, her face framed by delicate strands of golden hair.

"Oh good. You're still alive."

He pushed her away with one hand. "Don't sound so surprised." He grumbled weakly.

Sitting back onto the stump beside his bed, she shrugged. "About midday yesterday you became feverish. Started mumbling things in your sleep." She reached out and placed the back of her hand against his forehead. "Seems to have broken now though."

He shoved her hand away again. Then, with a heavy groan, he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Looking down at his legs, Artemis realized they too were heavily bandaged. He looked down at his arms and hands, noticing the fresh bandages there as well.

"You've been busy." He remarked, turning his hand about. It felt suddenly strange somehow, and it only took him a moment to remember what was missing. He looked about the small shelter. "Where are my things?"

"What things?" She grumbled, and he realized she had been talking before his question.

The assassin ignored her indignation and continued to search the place with his eyes. When that did not yield the results he wanted, he even attempted to pull himself to his feet. He only got a couple inches off the bed, his legs and arms quivering from the exertion.

"Stop that." She demanded, having leapt up to grab hold of his arm to steady him. She helped him lower back into a sitting position.

"Where are my things?" He asked again, more forcefully.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Your clothes? They were in tatters, I remove-"

He was shaking his head before she had even finished. "My sword and dagger, and the pouch I had on my waist."

She sighed, as if digging for some last dreg of patience. "You didn't have any weapons on you." She told him, standing and moving over to one of the strange fabric bags that filled the space. "But you did have this."

From amid the pile she brought forth the small pouch the assassin usually kept on his flank. He snatched it from her hands as soon as she was close enough, eagerly opening it and searching its contents.

"No, no, please," Mumbled the girl, "It was my pleasure. Not a problem at all."

When his fingers wrapped around the small nightmare figurine, he sighed with relief. It wouldn't be much longer until he was healed enough to stand. Then he could summon the creature from the Lower Planes and go and search for his companions.

"A gift?" The girl asked, looking down at the small statue in his hand.

"Something like that." He replied absentmindedly, thumbing the figure. "Good news is that I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

"Oh joy." She said with a disbelieving sigh, standing and walking over to another bag. She drew out some berries and nuts, bringing them over to him on another strange plate.

He took it from her when she offered it to him, eating every last morsel. The girl watched quietly, pouring a glass of water for him as well. When he took the glass, he realized she was watching him so intently, and scowled.

"What?"

She shrugged again. "Nothing…." She paused, biting her lip.

Artemis grunted at her. "Spit it out."

"Just wondering who 'Jarlaxle' is."

The assassin stiffened, shoot her a deadly glare. "How do you know that name?"

She cocked one eyebrow. "You said it a few times in your sleep last night. That and 'Dahlia'... And something like…. 'Drizzist'?" She brushed her fingers through the loose strands of her hair. "Friends of yours? You were saying lots of weird things."

He growled and shoved the strange plate back to her forcefully. So much so, it appeared to snap into two pieces. "Not important."

"Fine. Whatever." She tossed the plate off to the side, and if she was bothered by its destruction, she didn't show it, "Just thought maybe someone out there might be worried about you. My mistake."

She moved off to the doorway and disappeared outside, leaving Artemis alone with his thoughts.

She didn't come back til much later in the day. When she did, she said nothing to him, simply walking past and picking up some firewood from the pile at the end of the shelter. She brought it back to the small little pit by the doorway, stroking the embers until the crackled once more.

Artemis had spent his alone time assessing his injuries and testing his abilities. So as she walked past him again, he grabbed at her arm with surprising strength.

"Help me up." He ordered her, "I want to see where we are."

She tugged her arm easily out of his grip. "Don't push yourself. Or you'll end up stuck in that bed even longer."

He growled and punched the blankets angrily. "Then get me a branch."

She walked past him and out the door. "Get one yourself." She called over her shoulder.

She didn't return until after the sun had set. And didn't say a word to him other than 'here' when she passed him his food and water. Then she threw another log on the fire and curled up into her makeshift bed.


	2. The one where they're reunited

She ignored his angry glowering for another two days, diligently changing his dressings and cleaning his wounds. He noticed she was using less and less cloth, and some of it was stained pink from his previous bleeding. But he didn't press the issue, as his wounds did seem to be healing. And she fed him a steady supply of nuts and berries with the occasional fish meat every now and again. The food was plain, but filling and nutritious, and the assassin felt his strength grow a little more each day.

They didn't speak much, and sometimes Artemis preferred it that way. It seemed like she worked hard to keep away from him and keep busy, as if she wasn't particularly interested in dealing with him anyway. Perhaps his company had worn thin on her, he thought sourly. And he felt the tiniest pangs of guilt at the notion. After all, she had selflessly cared for him, and quite patiently, for no reason that he could yet discern. And all he had given her in return was sour scowls and angry demands. So he tried to be less of a burden, taking her food without complaint, holding still while she changed his bandages and tended his wounds. He would be out of her business soon enough, he assured himself. And that would be payment enough; saving her from himself. Though she might not know that it was.

On the third day, he placed his plate and cup after his morning meal on the stump beside him and turned to the girl. He extended one arm out to her.

"Help me up?" He asked quietly when she looked at him in puzzlement.

She considered him for a moment, then gave a deep sigh. "Fine. But only for a little while."

The girl disappeared for a short while, then returned once more. She took his offered arm and lent him her strength as he unsteadily pulled himself to his feet. Tucking herself under his arm, the pair made their way slowly to the door and out into the sunlight.

When the warm sun touched his face, Artemis couldn't help but close his eyes in pleasure. Though the forests and woods had never been a favorable place to him, it was nice to get out of the bed and breathe some fresh air. The small shelter had started to feel like a strange metal coffin.

She guided him over to a large log she had obviously set up for him and helped him ease himself down.

"You did better than I thought you would." She praised him, giving him a small smile.

He grunted, but nodded. The best appreciation he could show in the moment. Then he turned his attention to their surroundings.

For a long while, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the strange structure they had just left. It looked like a massive… cone? It was the closest shape he could place to it. A cylinder that tapered into a flat, rounded point, like the rudder on a ship. But a flat wedge rested on either side of the rudder like end, making almost a T shape. As he had surmised, the strange thing looked only to be a part of something much larger. He could see the framework of the metal thing from this side; steel beams nearly as thick as he was wide protruding at odd angles with bits and pieces of the interlacing metal sheets peeling off. The covering that had been tied over the hole wasn't a blanket, as he had first assumed. It was also of a strange material, blue, with interwoven fibers. It crackled when a breeze ran over it. And the whole of the structure seemed half buried in the earth. Behind the tail end a long, deep rut was carved into the earth; fresh, no more than a few weeks old. As if this thing had fallen from a great height and skidded across the ground. Some dirt was piled near the opened end, more obviously molded, and the doorway had been dug out and smoothed. The whole thing was maybe a dozen or so feet long, maybe a yard or two more, and was surrounded by copious amounts of other strange things the assassin had never seen before. A few of the strange boxes surrounded the door, with strange instruments and devices, though perhaps someone had made an effort to hide them with blankets that looked identical to the ones in his bed. The fire pit had bits of metal surrounding it, crafted into a makeshift grill, and many more bits of the metal were stacked about.

He didn't know what to make of it. For a long time, he stared slack-jawed at the strange sight. Trying to take it all in. When he finally could tear his eyes away, he turned to the girl, who seemed to be making a point not to notice him staring.

"...What is that… thing?"

"Hmm?" She turned to him, as if just noticing he was there. "Oh, just …. Something I found."

Artemis shook his head incredulously, but moved to look at the rest of their surroundings. Though they seemed to be in some sort of pine grove, he could make out the mountains beyond…. They were much closer than they had been when last he had seen them. Had the river curved back upon itself? Bringing him instead closer to where they had been headed? Or had she merely lied about how long they had travelled to this place? He looked about again, familiarizing himself with as many of the landmarks as he could, trying to piece together what he knew of the region with what he saw.

When he next looked at the girl, there was an angry glower on his face. "We are much more than a few days from the nearest village." He accused her.

"Did I say that?" She asked innocently, waving one hand.

"Yes."

She shrugged. "My mistake."

The assassin gritted his teeth, and looked about again. "We're even deeper into the forest than…" He paused, looking about again. "...Were you here a few weeks ago?"

She looked at him with some surprise. "A few weeks? …. I suppose so-"

"Did you see something fall from the sky?" He interrupted before she could finish.

Alice paused, not saying anything for a long moment. "...From the sky?"

He nodded. "Like a falling star, but bigger. Much bigger. Some say there was a giant portal in the sky just before, then this…. thing came through…. Did you see it?"

A complicated, unreadable look crossed her face. The assassin thought he saw pain there, mixed with fear, concern, hesitation, and many others, all flashing across her delicate features. No one emotion lingered long enough for him to properly register it before it was replaced by another. Her jaw tightened and forced a shrug again.

"Can't say I did."

She was lying. He could tell she was. And he was sure she knew she hadn't hidden it well. But something was stopping her from telling him what she knew. He narrowed his eyes at her, yet didn't press the issue.

"I need you to take me to where you found me." He told her, and moved as if to stand.

"Yeah, no." She told him firmly, moving over and pushing him back down onto the log. He was still so weak, even her simple strength was able to manipulate him. "You're not in any shape to travel that far. And I'm not dragging you back here again."

Artemis gritted his teeth again and shook his head. "I think the others I came here with may not be far off." He told her, and fished around in his pocket for the small figurine. If she wouldn't take him, he'd go off himself.

She sighed. "Ok, well, a few more days and maybe we can-"

The girl stopped abruptly with a shout as Artemis summoned the hellish steed. It materialized before them in a cloud of smoke and sulfur, stomping at the ground with its fiery hooves.

"THE HELL IS THAT?" She half-shrieked. She darted in front of him, tucking under his shoulder and lifting him up with surprising strength.

She had managed to get them a few paces away before he stopped her. "Stop you fool. I summoned it. Now help me get on."

"You _summoned _it? From where? How?"

"With the figurine, from one of the Lower Planes. Now shut up and help me get on it." He snapped angrily, trying futilely to turn them.

She halted their progress firmly. "No fucking way I'm helping you get on that thing." She shot back, tugging him a step further away.

Artemis had to wince against the pain, setting his jaw stubbornly. "Just get me on its back and you'll never see me again."

She shook her head angrily. "You get on that thing and you'll kill yourself for sure."

"It's harmless, it's under my-"

She tugged him painfully again. "Not because of the stupid magic horse-thing, you idiot." She said, but still looked the hellbeast up and down warily. Smoke tumbled from its nostrils as it snorted at her. "You're in no condition to be riding anywhere. You can't even stand alone," She looked up at him. "What makes you think you can ride?"

He took a stubborn step forward. "That's not your concern."

"The hell it isn't." She snarled. "I just spent the better part of two weeks healing your ass." She forcibly tugged him back towards the strange shelter. "I'm not letting you make it all a waste of time."

Artemis had hardly any choice in their stumbling, rambling direction. He could barely keep his feet under him as she half-carried him back to the bed. She almost tossed him onto the bed when they reached it, panting as she straightened herself up and put her hands on her hips.

"If you're so hell bent on reaching your friends now, then I'll go find them and bring them back here."

That gave the assassin pause, and he looked the diminutive girl curiously. "...Why would you do that?"

She sighed heavily, dropping her hands from her hips and rubbing one against the back of her neck. "...I'll not see all your progress undone by your own stupidity. So… so just tell me what to look for. And I'll see what I can do." She raised one finger threateningly. "Only for a day or two. Then that's it. If I don't find anything, I don't want you to even _think _of going off on your own until I say so."

Artemis rubbed his jaw, not sure what to make of her offer. She would certainly be more productive than he could hope to be with his injuries. What would take him many painful days she might be able to complete in just a single afternoon or so. But he could not for the life of him fathom why she was doing all this. Obviously, she had secrets she wasn't keen on sharing, and she didn't seem overly fond of him. He had thought all she wanted was to get him out of her life, that she maybe even regretted ever stepping in to save his life to begin with. Yet here she was, once again doing more for him than some of those he might call his friends had ever done for him. It was not surprising that suspicion filled him then, wondering what ulterior motive the girl might have. But she wasn't wrong. Trying to ride off on his own might very well be the death of him…

"There's two of them." He told her finally, begrudgingly. "They are dark elves."

"Two… did you say _elves_?" She seemed surprised.

"Dark elves." He corrected. "Drow."

Her sky blue eyes looked at him with some mixture of disbelief and astonishment. "...alright then…" she seemed suspicious herself then, but he brushed it aside.

"No need to fear them." he reassured her, "At least…. not these two. One has a shaven head and wears a large purple hat. The other has long hair, and lavender eyes."

"...ok…"

He continued to ignore her doubting tone. "Their names are Jarlaxle and Drizzt."

She sighed heavily, sitting down. For a moment, he thought she might be having some sort of breakdown as she seemed unlikely to lift her face from her hands. As if processing this information was taking a great deal out of her. "Great. Jarlaxle, Drizzt. Got it." She looked at him with a skeptical eyebrow. "Anything else I should know?"

The assassin considered her. "The Netherese."

"The Nether-what?" she echoed.

"Netherese. Shades." He repeated impatiently. "The forest was crawling with them, and they'll kill you as soon as look at you. I'd avoid them."

"Wonderful. Should I ride your death-horse?"

He scowled at her mocking tone. "It moves faster than a regular horse. It'll get you there quicker, but it'll call a lot of attention to you-"

"Obviously."

"-So only use it when you must." He took her hand, turning it palm up to place the figurine in her hand. "Keep this with you. So you can summon it or dismiss it with just a thought."

"Just a thought?...Ok…" She turned the little statue over in her hands a few times, thumbing it curiously.

"Did my cloak come with me?"

She looked up from the statue. "Eh?"

"My cloak. Did you find it with me at the river?" he demanded impatiently.

"Oh, right. Uh," She looked around, then moved over to one of the strange cloth boxes. "Yeah, here." She pulled it out.

"Wear it." He told her. "If you wrap it about yourself and stay low and still, it has magic to conceal your presence somewhat."

"Oh cool!" She held it out before her at arm's length. "Like Lord of the Rings."

He frowned at her words, confused. When she looked over at him, his frown became a scowl. She shook her head errantly and pulled the cloak around her shoulders.

"Nevermind." She told him. She tied the clasp at her throat. "Ok. Cloak. Death-horse. Nethershade-things. Jarlaxle, Drizzt, and Athrogate." She turned back to him. "Anything else?"

Artemis considered her again, his expression doubtful. If they were really where he thought they were, the woods would be very dangerous. It was surprising really that the Netherese and other hunting parties had not yet swarmed the place, following the smoke trail she left out every night from her fire. The hellhorse would keep her somewhat safe, as would the cloak. But as far as he could gather, should she be discovered, she would be entirely helpless. Likely, he was sending her to her death.

She smirked at his doubtful expression. "Don't worry, if they're anywhere nearby, I'll find them." She offered him a teasing smile. "I'm tougher than I look."

She spent the next few minutes puttering about the shelter, gathering things, ducking in and out of the doorway. She muttered things quietly under her breath as she moved, but all he could make out was the disbelieving repetition of the word "magic" or "elves", often accompanied by a little shake of her head or a sigh. Before long, she had gathered a small pile of supplies, which she placed strategically around him.

"This should be enough for three days." She told him, considering the small collection. She picked up a sturdy looking staff of a strange material and placed it near the bed. "And this is for emergencies only." She told him firmly. "Hopefully I'll be back pretty quickly, but…" She hesitated, then cleared her throat and gathered up another small pack, slinging it over her shoulder.

Artemis knew what she had been thinking. In case she took longer than that. Or, in case she didn't come back. He felt a painful knot in his stomach that had nothing to do with any of his physical injuries. He ground his teeth again. A dozen different words danced on his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say any of them.

"Well, wish me luck." She told him, turning to leave.

"... Be careful," He called after her quietly. He wasn't sure she heard him.

The assassin heard a few light curses and angry stomping and snorting. Then the jingling of reigns and the loud clatter of hooves announced her departure. He even heard a surprised yelp at one point before the sounds quickly faded. He groaned, rubbing his face dejectedly.

"Are you really still looking for him?" Came a voice behind the slim drow.

Jarlaxle turned to consider the younger elf who stood by the bank of the river. He shrugged noncommittally.

"I've seen that stubborn human survive much worse." He turned back to the river before him. It had parted about a mile down river from the battle, and this part seemed to flow deeper into the forest rather than away from it.

It was silly for the drow to hold out hope, of course. They had both watched the assassin plummet into the raging rapids with the devil's sword stuck deep into his ribs. It had been more than a week since then without a single sign of him. And the drow was wasting precious time, time the assassin had bought them to keep ahead of the Netherese, but he couldn't help himself. There was some small, nagging part of him that wouldn't accept that Artemis Entreri really was dead.

Jarlaxle was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice his companion drop onto the rock he stood on. He landed so lightly he didn't make even a whisper of sound, his shock of white hair falling about his shoulders as he straightened to face the mercenary.

"They're gaining." Drizzt pointed out to him.

Jarlaxle nodded. He had guessed as much. The shades were nothing if not persistent and seemingly tireless. He almost chuckled at the insanity of it all. A mad dash to the finish line. But no one knew where it was, what it was, or even if it existed at all. And he kept looking for a dead man.

"Let's keep moving then." He told his younger companion, who nodded and darted off.

He followed suit, though nowhere near as fast as Drizzt with his magical anklets. He still moved quickly though, and silently hopping from rock to rock back to the bank before jogging along the bank. He paced the steadily moving waters, letting the faster elf scout ahead out of sight.

But they had been barely traveling more than thirty minutes when he came upon the ranger once again, standing still at the shore beside a small, tumbling falls. His gaze was focused on the opposite bank, a small frown on his lips.

"What's the holdup?" The mercenary asked, though his soft pant suggested he could use the break.

"I'm not sure." Drizzt replied. Jarlaxle moved up to stand beside him. The ranger pointed to the opposite bank. "...Do you see that?"

The mercenary frowned. "See what?"

"There." Drizzt pointed again. "Where the water is the most shallow… Looks almost like drag marks."

Jarlaxle's heart skipped a beat at the implication. "A bear and its kill?" he offered, trying to crush his own hopes.

Drizzt shook his head. "Too small…" He looked over at the other drow.

The mercenary barely thought about it. "We cross." He decided, and quickly skipped up onto the nearest rocks.

He gracefully hopped from place to place, not even dipping a single toe in the water as he agilely crossed the now slow moving, shallow river. He reached the opposite bank quickly and looked down at the marks the ranger had spotted. And he had been right. They were too small for something a bear or lion had dragged, and he saw no other tracks around. The rain had washed down the impression somewhat, but it still looked promising.

Drizzt stood beside him not a moment later, his more skilled eye studying the scene. Jarlaxle didn't even notice he was holding his breath until the younger elf turned to him.

"It could be." He offered, "The timing seems right, and the size." He pointed out some spots on the ground. "Old blood, washed away from the rain, but still some traces." Then he pointed up the bank. "Dragged straight that way, with some difficulty." He bounded up the bank and onto the soft soil. The ranger paced around the edge of the woods, touching a tree there and a bush here. "Look."

Jarlaxle moved closer, studying the broken branches and pressed ground. "Something moved through here?" He gathered.

Drizzt shook his head. "Something intentionally broke these. Not just in passing."

"To make something perhaps?" The mercenary suggested. "Or for a fire?"

The younger elf shrugged "The saplings would be too green for a good fire… but there's enough damage here to suggest a good amount missing and they are strong enough to make something man-sized…" He gestured to the change in shape of the dragging marks and impressions. "Maybe a stretcher?"

"Someone else was here?"

Drizzt nodded. "There's a set of faded footprints. Whatever was dragged didn't drag itself. I see full leg marks as well as the prints, not elbow or feet or knees."

Jarlaxle nodded, looking at the ground. "Could you follow it?"

The ranger rubbed the back of his neck. "...Maybe… but it was a while ago. And with the rain…." He looked over at the other drow. "Even if I could… there's nothing saying for sure it's him. Or that we'll even find him alive at the end of the trail."

As Jarlaxle turned his head, scanning the bank, something caught on the shore-side boulders caught his eye. He splashed into the water, over to a cluster of rocks just upriver from the bank they had just crossed. Knee deep in water, the elf made no attempt to conceal his movements. When he reached the cluster, he bent down, his head disappearing for a moment. When he straightened, he held something in his hands.

"What is it?" Drizzt called, skipping a few paces closer.

Jarlaxle held up the weapons belt, his breath catching in his throat as he did. It was Artemis'. No mistaking it. Void of weapons. He looked back at Drizzt eagerly. The ranger nodded.

"It's him then." He agreed.

Jarlaxle opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly dived to the side as a sharp whizzing sound filled the air where he had just been standing. An arrow bounced harmlessly off the ground, and the trio whipped their heads around. Netherese were gathering on the opposite shore, drawing up bows as several others began to cross with their own weapons drawn.

Scimitars appeared in Drizzt's hands in a flash of steel. Jarlaxle quickly scanned the area, noticing the small group of shades quickly swarming down river and across the rocks. Back to their right, the way was clear, and directly behind them. But the opposite bank and their left were fast filling with enemies. Too many of them.

Quick hands deflected arrows as Drizzt moved forward to engage the front lines of fighters who crossed the river. The small, sweeping falls to the left was only proving a minor barrier to the Netherese, who charged down the slope to cross at its base. Jarlaxle sent a few timely flying knives to embed themselves in some crossing shades, collapsing them in the path of their brethren. But although the first blood was theirs, Jarlaxle knew the pair couldn't linger here. And he was sure he saw a familiar warlord emerging from the trees far back from the shore.

Drizzt forced back the line that crossed through the water before them, while Jarlaxle drew a wand from the folds of his clothes, and with a whisper sent a fireball shooting across the river at the archers on the opposite bank. They needed something more though, if they had any hope to escape.

A dark form in the corner of his eye caught his attention. At first he thought one of the shades had managed to cross at the top of the falls. But as he dropped a knife into his waiting hand, the figure's cloak whipped behind them and couldn't help but start in surprise.

"Artemis?" He wondered aloud, but Drizzt was too far away to hear him.

The cloaked figure, cowl pulled over his head, looked down at the battle, then darted out of sight. Jarlaxle half-turned towards them, but was forced back into the battle as two Netherese slipped past Drizzt and charged at him. He dropped two daggers into his hands, and with a flick of his wrists he readied the short swords as the pair charged at him. A parry and a feint had one scrambling for his footing as he knocked the other's weapon aside. But he couldn't help but glance back up at the top of the falls. His distraction cost him, and he had to jump quickly to the side to avoid a stabbing thrust from the staggered opponent.

The pair were overly eager though, and Jarlaxle quickly had them off balance again. He tossed his sword up into the air, and as the more forward shade followed it with his eyes, Jarlaxle flicked a fresh dagger into his hand and out at the shade. He fell back, clutching at his gushing neck, but the other charged in. The mercenary feinted right and managed to catch his sword, then spun and knocked the shade's weapon, a broad axe, wide to the left. He sliced down, scoring a hit across his opponent's face that had him howling. The drow spun back to his left, hooking his opposite sword under the axe to keep it out wide and driving home with his other. The shade managed to pull himself back enough to keep the wound from being fatal, but he had to relinquish one hand's grasp on his weapon in order to do so. As he staggered back, Jarlaxle flicked his wrist, transforming the sword back into a knife which he threw with amazing accuracy into the shade's shoulder.

Blood streaming over one eye and out of his shoulder, the shade managed to fix his stance and regrasp his axe. But he was lifting it frantically this way and that as the mercenary sent a barrage of knives at him. One hit him in the knee, dropping him down, and with a swift slice with his remaining sword, the shade fell out of the fight.

A quick assessment of the scene did not encourage the drow. Drizzt was managing to keep the rest of the Netherese back, but though the bodies piled on the shore, more and more of the shades were filling the river. They plowed through the water, not caring that the waist deep river slowed them momentarily. The mercenary fired a few quick knives at several of the front runners, but it hardly slowed them. They would soon be overwhelmed, and the archers were beginning to recoordinate.

Cursing under his breath, he flicked his wrist to shrink the sword back to a knife and tossed it at a shade before reaching for his wand once more. Moments later he fired another fireball at the opposite bank, but it was less effective this time, as many of the archers dove to the sides.

A sudden rumbling filled the air, steadily growing in volume. It had everyone turning to look at the small falls, which seemed more full and gushing than moments before. Suddenly, a heavy rush of water shot over its top. So powerful was the rush that it swept away half the Netherese in the water before anyone even fully realized what had happened. The river flooded up the banks, forcing both parties back and knocking more shades off their feet. Drizzt took the opportunity and quickly finished off the remaining Netherese on their side of the river. The torrent of water continued, but the Netherese were not looking at their lost brethren anymore. Many were shouting and pointing at the top of the falls, though the drow could not make out their words.

He turned to see what they were looking at, and grinned at the black cloaked figure there. The figure gestured to them, then darted off. Calling to his companion, the drow acted quickly and followed Artemis without hesitation. Drizzt quickly caught up and even passed him. By the time the river had begun to calm, the trio were long out of sight. And the Netherese still had no hope of crossing.

"Artemis?" Jarlaxle called softly as they all slowed. He looked around, expecting to see the assassin around every tree.

Drizzt still held his scimitars in his hands, searching more warily than the older drow. When Jarlaxle looked at him, he gave him a doubtful look, shaking his head. And he was right of course. The injuries the assassin had received would not have healed so quickly. But perhaps he had been found by a wizard or priest…

"Artemis?" he called again anyway, making his way deeper into the woods.

"...Which one are you?" Came a wary, feminine voice from their right.

Jarlaxle stopped short and spun, as did his companion, facing the diminutive form in the dark cloak. A stab of disappointment filled the drow, but he shook it aside quickly. He knew that cloak. He had been the one who had given Artemis that cloak. If this new character was not Artemis himself, surely she knew of his fate.

"Excuse me?"

"Which one are you?" She repeated, taking a step back as Drizzt turned his scimitars towards her. "Jarlaxle, or Drizzt?"

The mercenary smiled broadly, tapping the brim of his broad hat. "I am Jarlaxle." He told her, then gestured to the other drow. "And this is Drizzt."

She hesitated, her cowl turning back and forth slightly as she looked them over. She still seemed ready to run at any moment. Jarlaxle reached out and placed a hand on Drizzt's shoulder. When the ranger looked over at him, he gestured for him to sheath his swords. Which he did after a moment.

"Thank you, for what you did back there." Jarlaxle said, approaching the cloaked figure slowly, trying hard to seem as unthreatening as possible. "It was you, yes? Who flooded the river?"

She didn't answer right away, but the cowl nodded slightly.

"You know where our friend is?" Drizzt asked, not sure whether to sound hopeful or doubtful.

"Huh. So he does have friends." She breathed, "How odd."

Drizzt couldn't help but smile, "Yup, she's met him alright."

"Who are you?" Jarlaxle pressed, "Have you seen Artemis?"

She hesitated a moment longer, then reached up and swept down her cowl. Her young face and delicate features left the drow rocking back on his heels in surprise. Golden blonde hair tumbled about her face, though the majority was pulled to the back of her head, and her pale, porcelain skin seemed ethereal in the sunlight that managed to pierce the leaves.

"Yeah, I know where he is." She told them. "He sent me to look for you guys. I'll take you to him."

She turned and made her way back through the woods. The pair quickly moved to catch up.

"You didn't give us your name." Drizzt pointed out as he drew up just behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, then turned forward once more. "...Alice." She informed him, skipping up a small hill and around a clump of trees gracefully.

"Were you the one that pulled Artemis from the river?" Jarlaxle asked, casting a glance over his shoulder to be sure they weren't being followed. For good measure, he activated one of his many items to hide their trail.

"Yeah. He was pretty badly wounded. Lost a lot of blood." She replied.

"Where is the bastard now?" Athrogate growled, "Does he live?"

She glanced back over her shoulder at them. "He's still healing," she told them,"But I think he'll be fine." She shrugged. "As far as I can tell. I'm not a doctor though."

She paused in a small clearing and fished into one of her pockets. As she did, her cloak swept back, revealing strange garments underneath. Jarlaxle frowned slightly at that, but when she pulled out the statue he had given Artemis her clothes were quickly forgotten.

"He gave me this to get to you faster." She explained to them, turning the thing over in her hands. "But I don't think we can all ride on it..."

"No need, I have my own mount." Jarlaxle reassured her.

"I can ride with Jarlaxle." Drizzt told her.

She nodded. "Alright, should we go then?" She tossed the statue to the ground and summoned the hell horse.

She approached it hesitantly, obviously not super fond of the beast. The feeling seemed mutual, and the creature snorted angrily and stamped its hooves. But she grabbed its reigns none-the-less and pulled herself into the saddle.

Moments later Jarlaxle had summoned his mount and the drow mounted up. She led the way through the forest, and though she was much less confident with her mount and therefore moved at a slower pace than was possible, they still made quick progress. Before the sun had set she slowed the hellbeast and lead the way into a small clearing.

The sight of the strange structure had Jarlaxle pulling up his mount short. He stared at the strange shelter open mouthed, his beast shuffling restlessly beneath him. The girl had already dismounted and dismissed her hell horse and looked back at them nervously. When he finally was able to tear his gaze away from the strange sight and look back at her, he realized she was wringing her hands. But she moved into the metal-looking contraption, ducking her head through the door.

The pair dismounted and Jarlaxle dismissed his beast, walking slowly forward as they looked this way and that at the strange little clearing warily. Jarlaxle noticed the broken trees behind the structure and the deep imprint in the ground. Realization began to trickle into him as he looked over at his companion. Drizzt seemed to be on the verge of the same breakthrough, but it had not yet fully dawned on him.

"What in the Gods' names is this thing?" Drizzt pondered softly under his breath.

The girl reappeared in the doorway. "Come on in, then. He doesn't seem to believe me." She told them.

She stood aside as they each ducked their way into the strange structure hesitantly. Artemis was sitting up on an equally strange bed, bandaged and weak looking, but alive. Jarlaxle couldn't help but smile widely.

"I knew it would take more than a devil to kill the likes of Artemis Entreri." He boasted, reaching out to grasp the assassin's unbandaged shoulder.

"The river certainly didn't make it easier." Artemis pointed out sourly, but he couldn't completely hide the relief in his face at seeing his companions.

"We thought you'd risen from the dead when we saw the lady Alice here in your cloak." Jarlaxle said with a laugh.

"I wanted to go myself." He assured him, "But my wounds have not healed enough yet to ride."

"Good to see you alive, wounded or not." Drizzt piped in dryly.

"And still managing to find the artifact to boot!" Jarlaxle exclaimed.

Artemis blinked in surprise, but quickly made the same connections the drow had as he considered his words. He looked about the strange shelter, then shrugged.

"Doesn't seem like much."

Jarlaxle turned to speak to the girl, full of questions, but found her not standing in the doorway any longer. Drizzt ducked out the door in search of her, and the mercenary cast his eyes around at the strange things filling the shelter.

"What do you know of this place?" He asked the assassin.

He shrugged. "About as much as you." He nodded at the door. "The girl may know something, but she's been keeping it to herself if she does."

The drow nodded thoughtfully, picking up the strange cup that Artemis had been using for water. It bowed beneath his fingertips and he almost dropped it in surprise."I'm not sure what we can glean from this artifact, but even having found it before the Netherese is a boon I had begun to lose hope for."


	3. The one with the artifact

Drizzt found the girl stoking the fire just outside the shelter.

"Don't." He told her quickly, stepping over.

She looked up at him in surprise. "What? Why not?"

He kicked dirt over the flickering coals, ignoring her protests. "The Netherese will see the smoke like a beacon." He explained.

"Oh, right…" She looked down at the smothered flames. "...It's going to get cold without it though,"

"We'll have to make due." He looked about thoughtfully, then back at the girl. "How long have you been living here?" He asked curiously.

"A little while." She replied, drawing small circles in the dirt with one finger.

"Do you live out here alone?" Drizzt looked around again, but there was no sign of any others.

She shrugged, but didn't answer.

The ranger crouched down. "I'm sorry."

That got her to glance up at him, though she awkwardly shifted her eyes a moment later. "What for?"

"For coming to your home and attacking you with all these questions," He grinned, "For having to take care of Artemis."

A small smile danced across her lips in spite of herself and she snuck another glance at him. "...It's alright."

"A lot of people are looking for this." He nodded to the strange structure. "And we just want to make sure whatever it is doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

She peeked up at him through her lashes. "Wrong hands?" She echoed.

He nodded. "The Netherese collect powerful artifacts and use them to expand their empire. They destroy everything in their way."

The girl suppressed a chuckle. "I don't think they're gonna get much from this." A thought seemed to occur to her as she finished speaking and she frowned.

"What is it?" Drizzt asked kindly.

She glanced at him, then back at the structure. "Well…." Her sky blue eyes fell back on him, "...I'm not sure I should…" She bit her lip as her words fell away. Her eyes traced his face briefly before dropping to the ground once more.

The drow passed a hand through his hair. "I know you just met us, and Artemis isn't exactly the best ambassador…" He shrugged, "I wish there was a way to let you know you can trust us. Time isn't exactly on our side."

The girl nodded hesitantly. "...What do you do if there is some great power to this… artifact?" she asked.

He dropped his hand over his chin from his hair. "Destroy it, if we can I suppose. Or hide it away." He shrugged again. "Depends on what it does. We have some powerful allies who could keep it safe."

"You wouldn't want it for yourself?" He shook his head. "Then what's in it for you?"

He gave a small smile. "Adventure." Then he looked at her sidelong. "...Do you know what it is? What it does?"

She didn't answer him, curling her legs up and resting her chin on her knees as she stared off. Her eyes seemed to look beyond the world they were in, as if they were seeing into other realms, other times.

Jarlaxle ducked out of the structure. "Artemis is resting now. Gave him some of my salves and potions to help the healing…..Did all these things come inside the vessel?" He pondered aloud as he spun slowly, taking in his surroundings. He turned to the girl. "Are these your things?"

She didn't answer, looking up at him. Her face was a mixture of uncertainty and wariness, and Drizzt studied her carefully. She knew more than she would say. He could tell that much. Jarlaxle seemed to be registering that too, giving her a disarming smile. Which merely seemed to put her more on edge.

Jarlaxle nodded. "Of course," He tapped the brim of his hat towards her. "I don't mean to pry, but," He came over and sat on the stump, "I must say, that is a very curious name. Never heard anything quite like it." He smiled his most charming smile. "Where did you say it was from?"

"I didn't." She replied sourly.

"Well, I'm most curious to hear." He continued, unfazed, "And I'm sure the story of how you found yourself out here is quite impressive as well! I'd love to hear it."

She glanced at him, but didn't answer right away, giving a slow shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing that interesting." She said quietly after a few long moments.

Drizzt shot his persistent companion a warning look. If the mercenary kept pressing, she'd lock up even more. Better to let her speak in her own time.

"As I was saying, Time is not our ally right now," He told her instead. When she looked over at him, he continued, "I don't mean to frighten you, but the Netherese could be here any moment," She flinched at the idea and he shook his head, hoping his tone sounded grave enough. "If there's anything you can tell us…?" He let the question hang in the air.

She sighed, stood slowly. "I…." She ran a hand over the top of her head, "...I'm gonna go gather some things for the night…" She started to walk towards the treeline, then stopped, looking back over her shoulder. "...Don't touch anything please."

And with that she disappeared into the trees. Jarlaxle watched her recede into the foliage, scratching his chin.

"I say we follow her." He said after a few minutes.

"Not a great way to build trust." Drizzt reminded him dryly.

"Artemis was right though," Jarlaxle mused, "She knows more than she's telling."

"Hounding her for answers is not going to convince her to open up."

"Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of easing her into our quest."

"She saved Artemis' life." Drizzt reminded him, "She didn't have to do that. We owe her as much time as we can give." He looked after her, "We'll just have to hope it's enough."

The pair fell into setting up their camp then, since they couldn't all fit into the artifact. The sun was sinking lower and lower, pulling the light from the sky. And still the girl hadn't returned.

When the camp was finished, Drizzt looked up at the darkening heavens.

"... I'm going to go check on her." He told the others.

"You think that's wise?" Jarlaxle intoned, "You were the one who said to give her time."

"I just want to make sure she's safe." He assured him.

Her trail was easy enough to follow. In fact, it seemed worn, as though she had walked it many times. A few minutes walk from the camp, he saw her through the trees up ahead. She was doing something on the ground, seeming to move things he couldn't quite make out.

"Hello?" He called softly, not wanting to startle her.

She froze, then glanced over her shoulder. He slowly approached, though hesitantly, as he could see she was not exactly pleased to see him there.

"These woods may no longer be as safe as they once were," He began to explain hurriedly, "I was worried something had happened to you…" He dropped off, looking around.

They were in a small clearing with wildflowers blooming between the gaps in the trees. But it was not the flowers that drew his attention. Three mounds of dirt were laid, one next to the other. Mounds that were about three feet wide and six feet long. The girl was laying small piles of river stones at the head of each mound, and fresh picked flowers were laid on top of each one as well.

As Drizzt realized what they were, he tried to take a more respectful stance. He regretted his decision to come find her, hoping this intrusion wouldn't push her even further away from them.

"I'm sorry." He murmured reverently.

She considered him for a moment, then went back to carefully stacking the last of the stones on the final mound. "For what now?"

"For your loss… and for disturbing you," he offered quietly.

She shook her head. "I didn't know them."

Drizzt looked at the delicate care with which she had tended each mound. The fresh flowers. The river stone piles. "Yet you tend their graves?"

She shrugged. "Someone knew them." She pointed out. "Someone would have wanted them taken care of."

The elf looked from her, to the graves, then back over his shoulder to where they had come from. "...Are they from the same place as you?"

At first he thought she wouldn't answer again, but after a few moments of silence, she nodded. Then she stood, wiping her hands on her strange pants and turning back towards the camp.

"... Did their death have something to do with the artifact?" He dared venture. "Is that why-"

She waved her hand at him, silencing his questioning abruptly. "Stop trying to guess." She told him. "I'm beginning to realize it's not something you could ever imagine."

He frowned at her words, looking back at the mounds as she walked past him. He opened his mouth as if to say more, but then decided against it. Instead, he turned and followed her quietly back to the campsite.

Jarlaxle stood with a smile as they broke through the treeline. "Ah! Welcome back! Just in time for our evening meal."

"I'm not hungry." The girl replied, and stepped past them to the artifact's door. "Goodnight."

Taken aback by her abruptness, the mercenary couldn't find his voice until after she had disappeared. His words died on his lips, and he turned to Drizzt with a questioning look.

"_She was tending graves._" He told the mercenary in their native tongue, but still kept his voice very quiet. He didn't want her to think they were plotting anything.

Jarlaxle's eyebrows shot up. "_Graves?_" he echoed in drow, careful to mirror his hushed tones, ".._the others she came with? Perhaps her family? If they came searching for the artifact-_"

Drizzt was shaking his head before his companion had even finished his thought. "_She claims not to have known them._" He told him, "_But she did confirm they are from… wherever she came from._"

"_And how did they die?_"

"_...She refused to say..._"

"_But you think the artifact is involved somehow._" Drizzt nodded, and Jarlaxle rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "_Then perhaps there is more to it than meets the eye after all._"

The two elves fell silent, watching the sunlight drain slowly from the sky. Both knew they would have maybe a day or two at most before the Netherese caught up to them. If they were lucky. But this girl…. Neither wanted to forcibly take the artifact from her, especially if she had already learned any of its secrets. It would be better to convince her to work with them, rather than to create another enemy they had to fight off. If they had more time...

Artemis' eyes flickered open when he heard someone enter the shelter. Already he was beginning to feel much better with Jarlaxle's salves and potions. He could feel his strength returning, but he also felt a sleepiness constantly tugging at his senses. The drow had assured him after a good night's rest that would pass.

The girl considered him for a moment, then picked her way over to her makeshift bed. Something about her manner made him shake the fogginess from his head, and he propped himself up with a grunt on one arm.

"What happened?" He growled.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

Artemis' answering snort made his disbelief abundantly apparent. She shot him a look he couldn't quite read, then pulled back the covers to her bed, crawling in.

"You're bad at hiding your secrets." He told her as she moved.

Another sour look. "Do you know them?" She asked pointedly.

He shrugged. "I know you have them. That's enough."

She didn't answer for a moment, settling herself into the small nest she had made herself. "...Everyone has secrets."

"I'm more interested in yours."

Sky blue eyes flickered over to meet his, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. And not because of any injury he had sustained.

"If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets anymore." She replied, dropping her gaze and pulling the blanket up to her chin.

Artemis scoffed at her words. "If you keep them, you may just choke on them." When she didn't answer, he sighed angrily. "Whatever you know, it's better to tell us than to try to manage alone. Alone will get you killed."

Again, no reply. She even turned herself so that her back faced him. For a time, he thought that was going to be the end of it. The assassin even lowered himself slowly back onto his side, resisting the urge to grumble or growl.

"What do you care?" She finally muttered, so softly he wasn't sure he had heard it at first.

Now he took the moment instead, considering her words. Why _did_ he care? Was it for her sake? For his? For Jarlaxle or the so called greater good? Or just to spite his former slave-masters? He couldn't put his finger on it at that moment. But he felt hollow at the thought of abandoning her. Of her being captured or tortured by the Netherese. Of her being…. alone.

"I owe you." Was the answer he gave her. It was suitable, and it made sense considering all she had done for him. The words tasted bitter on his tongue though, and he hoped they sounded less false to her ears than they did to his.

Now there really was no answer, and he felt sleep tugging at his senses again. Her back still turned to him, he slowly fell into a deep, restful slumber.

The next morning when the sun shone through the door on Artemis' face, he woke feeling a weight had been lifted. He rose from his bed with only a little stiffness and the echo of pain. But a stretch worked out the worst of it, and he was able to stand with only a hint of dizziness. He began pulling the bandages off the pink scars all over his body.

His eyes turned to her small nest almost instinctively, but it was empty. There was…. Disappointment in his breast at the sight. But he shoved it aside almost as quickly as it fluttered there and made his way out into the brisk morning air.

Artemis' breath curled in thin, wispy clouds before his face, and he rubbed his bare arms against the chill. Drizzt glanced up from his pack as Artemis came out, offering the shirtless man a nod. But Jarlaxle and his caretaker were nowhere to be seen.

"The girl?" He growled at the remaining elf.

Drizzt finished packing a few items before gesturing off the to treeline. "Showing Jarlaxle a fresh water source to fill the skins."

Artemis eyed him. "The bastard has a magical pouch that never drains of water." He reminded him angrily.

To which Drizzt merely shrugged. "Then an excuse to be alone with the girl." He lifted his lavender eyes to look at the assassin. "To make her feel useful."

The human snorted and kicked aside some strange object beside the artifact. "She's been plenty useful without that fool playing his games with her."

Before Drizzt could comment on Artemis' words, the snapping of branches and the crunch of leaves announced the pair's return.

Artemis turned to look at them, almost relieved to see the girl again for some reason. Perhaps he feared she had fled in the night, leaving the four of them with more questions than answers. Especially him. He ignored the mercenary drow's beaming smile and fixed a bitter scowl on the girl.

She paused before them, glancing Artemis up and down. Obviously unperturbed by his expression, though mildly surprised at the state of him. She lifted one hand as if to touch the scar on his bare chest, but recoiled at the last moment. He was suddenly acutely aware of his lack of clothing, but managed only to scowl deeper.

"Good, you seem well enough."

"Well enough for what?" He growled back, crossing his arms.

She reached up, unfastening the ties at her neck and sweeping his cloak off her shoulders. "I have something I should show you." She told him as she stepped over, swinging the cloak back around his shoulders. Then she glanced around at the others. "All of you."

Artemis found himself holding the ends of his cloak as Alice turned to walk over to one of the strange boxes and pick up what appeared to be a thicker, oversized shirt. She tossed that his way, which he caught nimbly with one hand. The scent of dirt, pine, and flowers surrounded him, as well as another, softer scent he couldn't place. He felt his breath falter and his heart race. Stubbornly he shook his head, donning the new layer and clasping the ends of the cloak. The material felt odd against his skin, and he rubbed the hem between two fingers curiously.

"Where are we going?" Jarlaxle asked eagerly.

"Not far. Just shy of an hour." She told him, picking up a side bag and placing it across her torso from one shoulder to the opposite hip. "Quicker maybe, depending on your gait."

"We could ride." Drizzt offered. "Shorten the time even more."

She sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"Artemis can manage the beast, now that he's healed." Jarlaxle offered, "All you will have to do is hold on."

"But where are we going?" Drizzt reiterated.

She didn't answer, staring at her feet and rolling her hands back and forth in front of her. Her face tightened as she stared, an obvious internal debate raging within her.

"We'll see when we get there." Replied Artemis in her stead, fishing out the statuette.

The surprise of the others was hidden by the sudden swirling smoke as the beast rose from the depths of its home. It stamped its hooves and snorted smoke from its nostrils, beady red eyes seeming to consider the girl. Artemis approached it without hesitation, swinging into the saddle on its back and urging it forward a few feet. He pulled it up short beside the girl, who drew back out of its way as it moved. Again, the beast snorted and stamped, ears laying flat upon its skull even as Artemis reached his hand down.

"I suppose that's settled then." Jarlaxle mumbled under his breath. But a slight smile tickled the corners of his lips. Never had he seen Artemis behave quite like that before. He too summoned his beast, neatly vaulting into the saddle. Drizzt shrugged slightly, shouldering his pack and approaching the mercenary's magical mount.

Alice looked at Artemis' offered hand, then hesitantly at the hellbeast. The assassin growled impatiently, bending down and snatching up the girl's arm. He gave a grunt as his newly healing wounds burned in protest and pain, but hauled the girl up until her foot was in one stirrup and her hand on the horn of the saddle. He barely needed to flex to persuade her the rest of the way, instead finding her pulling herself up to sit nestled in the saddle before him. Again, those soft smells assaulted his nose; dirt, pine, forest flowers. That other unnameable scent. Stronger than it had been on his cloak, so close was he to its source. He had to shake his head once more to clear his senses and settle his heart rate. Clenching his teeth, he leaned forward, taking up the reigns around her.

"Which way?" He asked her, softly, since his mouth rested beside her ear.

She stiffened, but then pointed, and without pausing to check if his companions were ready, the assassin heeled his own steed forward. The pair shot off, zipping through the trees. The breeze was welcome against his face, and he steadied himself with a cleansing breath. Here and there she pointed with one hand, or spoke a soft "turn!", or "to the left!". But her other hand firmly grasped the edge of the saddle, her knuckles white. He could feel the tension in her back which rubbed against his chest with each stride. And he chose to ignore it, pushing it out of his mind. Forcing it aside with a stubborn growl.

"Stop, stopstop STOP!" she cried suddenly, tucking her chin to her chest as if she expected them to crash for the force of their forward momentum.

But the hellion steed pulled up gracefully, hardly seeming to notice it went from magically enhanced speeds to a stand still without even a whisper of effort. Alice slowly loosened, releasing herself from her cringe with a still nervous sigh. Artemis looked around, the elves coming up short behind them.

"There's nothing here." He growled.

She patted his chest with the back of her hand pointedly, gesturing for him to dismount. He grumbled but did as she directed, turning back just as she slid from the beast herself.

"Just beyond these trees." She told him, glancing at the others as they dismounted as well. "...Better to walk the rest of the way, there's a steep slope you can't see there."

Jarlaxle looked to where she pointed and nodded. The hellion creatures were dismissed and the motley group walked forward with much trepidation.

"So, where are we?" Jarlaxle pressed, looking about.

The others looked at her expectantly, but Alice simply walked on in silence. The elves exchanged a look behind her back, and Artemis glanced at them warily. Yet still they followed her. Dry twigs snapped beneath her feet as she led the way through the small crop of densely packed trees. Bright light shone beyond the farthest trunks, an almost blinding white compared to the canopied shade they left behind.

Then suddenly, she disappeared into the light, and each followed her, one after the other. And then each came to a stop at the top of the broken earth, whether being awestruck or dumbstruck varying from individual to individual.

Stretching before them was a great trench, like a giant sword had cut into the very planet itself, splitting trees like they were kindling and in some places launching them far from their rooted beginnings. Down the center of the trench the bowels of the earth spewed forth as blood from a wound, varying hues of dirt and mineral exposed that hadn't seen the sun in decades. The rivet, lined by decimated forest, ten or twenty feet at its deepest point, seemed to smolder in the midday sun. Vegetation lay chewed up at its edges, and dark streaks of burnt earth and tinder snaked up its length.

But despite the obvious recent upheaval of the natural landscape, it was the tip of the trench that brought all eyes straight to it.

It appeared to have once been white, or perhaps metal. Most of it was charred black now, and its original shape was lost in the twisted contortions of fire and collision. It was easily two hundred feet if each piece was put end to end. And indeed they were pieces; disjointed, smashed, and destroyed, but with strings of metal clinging to each part. As if trying to pull it back into shape. On each side of the main contraption there was a thinner piece, but still large, that was long and flat, almost in the shape of a triangle. Though one was bent in half and the other was charred, broken, and dented, the original shape seemed to be mirrored on both sides of the strange thing. The inside of the great monstrosity was hollow, with metal and fabric and other strange materials pouring out of it like clothes from a chest. All of it burnt, some of it still smoking. The air around the thing smoldered and drew hard into their lungs as they breathed, none quite sure what to make of what they saw.

Artemis was the first to tear his gaze away, looking instead to their guide. He found her eyes waiting for his (or any of theirs, he assumed). She didn't look at the strange sight. Her back was partially turned to it even, her body facing them. She must have seen it many times before to have become so accustomed to it to be able to turn away as she did. Her expression was a mixture of anxiousness, pain, fear… and many other things that flashed in cycles through her eyes.

"..I… Wha….?" Jarlaxle was the first to find his tongue, but full words eluded him yet.

Artemis held the girl's gaze, studying her eyes. It must have become too much for her, because after a minute more, she looked away. Not at the wreckage, as one might have thought, but at the ground, at her feet, at the trees back the way they had come. Anywhere else that she could.

"What the hell is that?" Jarlaxle managed finally, pointing as though the massive thing was not immediately obvious.

Alice didn't answer, and slowly each set of eyes fixed upon her as the question hung in the air before them. She seemed to feel their gaze, shuffling her feet and offering a small shrug of her shoulders.

"It's what you're looking for, isn't it?" Was the answer she finally gave.

For the first time since they arrived, she glanced over her shoulder at it. As soon as she did, she winced, and her face contorted in pain. Quickly she found solace in the ground at her feet once more.

"Well, yes, I believe so…. but…" Jarlaxle scratched his head and then shook it.

"Let's get a closer look." Drizzt suggested. He turned to the young woman. "...If we may?"

She nodded absentmindedly, pointing off to their right. "There's an easy enough path down over there."

Jarlaxle and Drizzt moved to the slope, picking their way amid roots and debris. Artemis lingered when he realized Alice had not moved to follow. The assassin considered the wreckage, then his healer once more.

"...What is it?" He asked her again.

She managed to glance up at him briefly before she moved her eyes away again. "The artifact or whatever you're calling it."

He sighed irritably. "You are still bad at keeping secrets." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know what it is."

She shrugged slightly, rubbing one hand against her upper arm. "Does it matter?"

Artemis looked back at the site, noticing something then. "It looks like your house." He commented.

Alice snorted at his words, shaking her head. "It's not my house."

Again he considered her, chewing over her words in his head. He looked down the hill at his companions, who had made it to the bottom and steadily made progress towards the weird structure. But he turned back to her, reaching out.

"Come on then." He took her arm, firmly but gently, tugging her towards him.

She hesitated, resisting ever so slightly, but then allowed herself to be pulled forward. He positioned her in front of him, and followed her down the trail she had pointed out earlier. It took them a few minutes to walk the length of the trench to the base of the strange heap of foreign metal and scrap. The elves had spread out and were walking around the structure.

"It looks… hollow." Jarlaxle called, "Intentionally so. Was it meant to carry something?"

"With no wheels?" Drizzt called back. He reached out and tentatively touched the hull. "Perhaps it is a ship."

"It's pretty damn far from the sea." Artemis scoffed. He paused at one part, studying the breaks and damage to the edge. "This is your piece." He said to the girl.

Jarlaxle lifted his head from the scrap piece he had been examining. "What?"

The assassin studied the portion of the structure again but didn't answer. Jarlaxle considered the same portion of the wreckage. He nodded in agreement.

"It does look just like your residence came from right here. As if it was broken off... Fascinating!"

"It's not my house." Alice echoed again, but softly, so that only Artemis at her shoulder was able to make out her words.

The others walked up and down as much of the strange contraption as they could, as part of it was buried in trees, debris, and dirt. Artemis watched, but felt no urge to follow. Instead, he turned his back on the monstrosity, and looked over the trench behind him. Then he looked at the strange thing, then back again at the trench.

"It fell here." He concluded, looking over at the drow as he spoke.

The pair looked surprised, then contemplative as they considered the same trajectory as the human. Jarlaxle's face filled with excitement as his eyes traced the trench.

"Was it dropped?" He mused aloud, "Or perhaps it was thrown?"

"It crashed." Came the soft, meek voice of the young woman.

All three turned to regard her, as if surprised to hear her voice. Her hands were crossed over her chest, but still they shook. Her shoulders hunched and her chin dropped. She didn't look at them, nor at the thing behind them. Her eyes were dropped to the ground, her attention fixed.

"Did you see it?" Drizzt asked gently, moving as if to reach out to her. But he stopped short, one hand raised to touch her shoulder frozen midway between.

She shook her head slightly. Still quivering, though Artemis saw her clench her jaw.

Jarlaxle looked over his shoulder, then back at her. "...Do you know what this is?"

Alice didn't answer, her knuckles white where she gripped at her own arms. Artemis noted her paling expression and ground his teeth. He shook his head angrily and stomped off, leaving the others behind. Jarlaxle called after him briefly, but the grim assassin didn't reply.

For her part, she lifted her gaze as the man she had tended stormed away. Her brow furrowed slightly as she wondered why. But her own ruminations pulled her back to her present company. Jarlaxle watched his old companion, then raised an eyebrow at Drizzt.

Before he could find the words to excuse his partner the girl shook her head. "I'm heading back. You know the way now."

And with that she too turned and plodded off, her steps hurried and her gait short. Jarlaxle babbled a protest but it was Drizzt who jogged after her.

"Are you ok?" He asked, pacing her.

She tugged a smile onto her face, slim though it was. "I don't like being here. Stay as long as you like, and I'll see you back where we started."

Undeterred, he continued to match her stride. "It's a long walk."

"I could use some time to think." She replied, then looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Alone."

Drizzt slowed to a stop, allowing the girl to walk off without him. He sighed, then ran his hand through his long white hair. He turned back to Jarlaxle, holding up his hands in defeat. The younger elf began to move back over to his companion, when his foot suddenly hit something soft. Looking down, he blanched sharply at the sight of a charred arm sticking out from beneath the wreckage...

Through the undergrowth she moved, pushing the branches aside thoughtlessly where she could and picking her way around them when she had to. For the most part the path was clear should she muster her feet properly, but instead she chose a more direct route. Which meant fighting through the occasional barrier.

She didn't care though. Each little stick that slapped her face or caught in her hair seemed to slip her deeper into a trance, until she wasn't even aware that she was still walking. The sensation merged with the trudge of her feet, the beat of the soft earth intermingled with the crunch of the dry foliage.

So focused (or perhaps better, unfocused), that she didn't see Artemis until her forehead collided with his chest.

"Oof!" She exclaimed, confused as she lifted her gaze up from the ground, almost falling over.

He caught her arm to steady her on her feet, and stabilized them both without a word. She stopped, looking up at him, then down at his hand on her arm. He released his grip as soon as her eyes fell on it.

"Where are you going?" He growled.

She shook her head, as if it didn't matter. "Back to…" Alice paused, looking for the right word. "..Camp."

"Not your house." He repeated solemnly.

That started her, and her eyes shot to his face.

He considered her sternly. "What is that thing?"

Her breath caught in her throat at his words, and she dropped her gaze to the side. Her mouth opened and closed a few times uselessly.

Artemis leaned against a nearby trunk. "Just a word to call it." He told her, "You don't have to explain the rest if you don't want to yet."

She chuckled softly, without mirth. "Yet." She echoed.

He nodded, then cocked his head to one side. "So?"

"I thought you were the one indebted to me, not the other way around." Her voice was soft, almost teasing, but still grave.

When she turned back to look at him, he scowled back. Not in a particularly joking mood.

So she sighed. "A plane."

"A plane?"

A nod was her answer, then she started around him. "I'd like to be alone now."

He grabbed her arm again as she tried to pass. "You'll have the rest of your life to be alone." He said harshly. She winced, and he felt a stab of pain at the sight. But he shook it off. "You'll be safer with us right now."

With surprising strength, she ripped her arm from his grasp. "Thanks, but I'll manage." She snapped back, and stomped off before he could grab her again.

Sighing angrily, he turned and followed her. "Stop being so stubborn."

"Stop being an ass." She returned.

"I'm trying to be nice." He growled.

"Well, you suck at it."

"Damnit, girl." He snarled, "You don't seem to understand just how much danger you're in."

"And you don't seem to understand how to repay a debt."

"The Netherese will cut out your tongue if you snark them."

"Perhaps I should have saved them the trouble of cutting out yours."

Artemis grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him. His teeth were bared into a snarl, but when he looked at her, her eyes about to overflow with tears, her brow wrinkled and knitted, he let his fury out in a huff.

"...I'm not good at this." He grumbled, tossing her back a step.

She rubbed her wrist and glared at him. "At what?"

The assassin sighed angrily again. "At...being grateful...or..." He dropped off, wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. Another sigh. "I don't like being indebted."

"Then I release you." She affirmed, turning as if to make her way back.

"It's not as easy as that. Alice!" She paused at her name, halfway through a stride, as if surprised to hear it. Artemis rubbed the back of his neck. "...I am, you know."

She studied him out of the corner of her eyes. "You are what?"

"...Grateful…" He almost mumbled the word, "...For what you've done for me." She turned a little more towards him. "...Let me try to repay it the only way I can."

The girl turned to face him fully. "...How?"

Artemis clenched his hands. "By keeping you safe."

She considered him only momentarily. "Seems like the trouble is following you, not hunting me." She pointed out bitterly, turning away for the last time. "Seems the best way to keep me safe is to get as far away from me as possible."

The assassin had no argument for her, and watched helplessly as she made her way back towards the campsite. Angrily, he shook his head, turning himself towards the wreckage.

"Let her be alone then," he told himself quietly. "Let her own stupidity and stubbornness be the death of her." It was no skin off his back if she wouldn't accept his aid.

"Same might have been said for you a few times, old friend." came familiar voice.

Artemis looked up at Jarlaxle with a scowl, wondering how long the drow had been lurking there. He brushed past the mercenary with a snort, as if to spit his comment back at him. But his words sank heavily in his chest, and more than one anxious thought wandered to his mysterious rescuer. No matter how hard he tried to suppress them.


	4. The one with a demon

Alice wandered for the better part of the hour, slowly making her way back towards the campsite in a forest she had come to know rather well, chewing over her own thoughts. Perhaps she shouldn't have shown them the crash site. Perhaps it would have been better to play the innocent passerby, who had just stumbled upon the strange things there. She shook her head angrily, knowing she would never have been able to pull it off. Artemis was right. She was bad at keeping secrets.

The pain of seeing the wreckage still lingered in her. She was still shaking slightly, and she couldn't seem to rid herself of the burning smell. Her mouth tasted like copper, and her ears rang with hollow echoes of screams and deafening ripping metal.

Again she shook her head, stopping next to a narrow tree. She leaned her forehead against it, resting her forearm over her head. Clenching her eyes shut, she banged her head lightly on the trunk. As if trying to dislodge the memories. But the harder she tried to push them away, the more potent they became. Her throat burned and her breathing tightened. Forcing herself up, she started walking again, hoping to distract herself.

A snapping twig pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked around. She paused, an unsettling feeling wrapping itself in knots in her chest. Something was wrong. But she couldn't put her finger on what. The woman looked around herself slowly, trying to ascertain the cause of her unease. Her ears rang as she strained them.

Rang… with silence… The realization dawned on her suddenly. There was no bird song. No chattering chipmunks nor rustling underbrush. The world around her had fallen still.

Another twig snapped behind her, causing her to jump. "Artem-?"

His name died on her lips as she turned. Or more, was swept away with a gasp as two figures leaped forward, grabbing her forcefully. She opened her mouth to shout, and one clapped his clawed hand over it.

Alice's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her attackers. Their skin was grey, as if the color had been sucked from it. One boasted a pair of horns and a tail whipped about him as he pulled her arms behind her back, the other nothing more than a deep scowl and pointed ears. Their plated leather armor was black, with dark grey fabric peeking out beneath it on their muscled arms and legs and about their waists. The same armor she had seen at the river. One of them was a full head or more taller than her, while the other had maybe a few inches on her. He kept his hand clasped over her mouth as the other got firm grip on her arms, his other hand on the back of her head.

"Let's go." Growled the one with the horns as he painfully twisted her arms together behind her back.

Alice let out a muffled cry of pain as the larger of the pair shoved her forward. The other released her head and followed close behind as she was dragged through the forest. She struggled and twisted.

"Let me go!" She shouted at them, trying to kick at one of her captors as he ventured closer.

He dodged her feeble attempt easily. Snarling, the elf backhanded her so hard her head snapped to the right. She gasped and stumbled, dragged sharply by her other captor.

"Silence!" He growled, twisting her arms painfully again. Her cheek throbbed from the blow, and she struggled to get her feet under her, slipping in the wet leaves and from being hauled forward without pause by the larger man.

Still, she struggled, ignoring the protest in her joints as she twisted against his grip. But suddenly he threw her forward, and she crashed to the ground with a gasp.

"Found her while securing the perimeter, my lord." Said one of her captors.

She managed to get her arms under her, rolling to her stomach. Large booted feet filled her view, and she started to stand. One of the guards shoved her with his heel.

"Stay down!" He snarled.

Finding herself on her side once more, the woman rolled again, back to all fours, coughing.

"Let me see her."

Before she could push herself up, a clawed hand grabbed the back of her hair and ripped her head backward. She gasped again, one hand instinctively reaching up to grab at the tiefling. His other hand caught hers, yanking it back.

Standing over her, towering over her, was a behemoth of a man. Though man was a loose term. His shoulders were twice her width, and on her knees her head barely passed his. His broad, muscled chest was almost bare save for some dark leather plating, and his skin was a dark grey-purple. Black hair tumbled in a wild mane about his shoulders, and four beastly horns curled from his head. He looked down at her with blazing umber eyes, his expression unreadable.

She glared back at him, twisting slightly as if she might free herself from the guard's grasp. He tightened his grip to hold her steady under his superior's scrutinizing gaze. She realized then they were back at the plane's tail, and her eyes darted around. Dozens of similarly clad warriors moved through the suitcases and things she had gathered. A few ducked in and out of the structure. Even more seemed to be coming and going from the forest around them. Surrounded.

"Her clothes, how very peculiar." Came another voice.

From behind the warlord came a much more slender man, with the same colorless skin and a shaved head. His garb was of cloth, with many layers of dark shades piled on top of each other. Only the collar was metal, a worn silver which rested on his collarbone and shoulders with an intricate pattern etched into its flat face. Alice met his gaze as he approached, scowling stubbornly.

The tiefling warlord did not even offer the man a passing glance, his eyes focused upon the woman postulated before him. She turned her sapphire glare back to him after a moment, tightening her jaw.

"Where did you spawn from, girl?" The robed man asked, stepping up and reaching out a hand as if to touch her. She yanked herself away from his fingertips. He smiled. "No need for that. Be quick in your answers, and you can be on your way."

She highly doubted that, and her continuing glare must have led credence to her mistrust. The older man chuckled and withdrew his hand. He looked over his shoulder at the broad chested tiefling.

"Her garments are like nothing I have seen before." He noted, then gestured to the campsite beyond them. "Save for here."

Alice couldn't keep herself from casting her eyes downward at his words, if only briefly. It was enough to betray her to the watching tiefling though. He gestured to the guard holding her, who yanked her to her feet by her hair.

"This shelter is of your making then." He rumbled.

She gritted her teeth.

"The upturned earth is fresh." The man chimed in, and Alice glared at him. "I would venture to say the same age as our artifact."

The warlord reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "How did you find this place?"

She scowled at him, which made his expression darken, sending shivers down her spine. The man behind him waved the guards off, and with a bow, they released her and went back to their work. Her hands free, she grabbed his wrist as if to pull him off her. But his grip merely tightened.

"What power did you find?" He growled, "Where have you hidden it?"

Alice tried again to twist herself from his grip, but he pulled her closer. His hand slid from her chin to her neck, his muscled fingers closing about her throat. His face was barely a hair's length away, his breath hot on her cheeks.

"Answer quick, girl. I have little patience." He warned.

"Perhaps, Lord Asmodeus, the girl does not know to whom she speaks." The man behind him offered. "Perhaps she does not understand the might and power of the Netherese." He gave her a twisted smile as she glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. "Nor how her cooperation might be rewarded."

Asmodeus slowly released her neck, pushing her back a foot. "What is your name, girl?" He demanded quietly.

Alice didn't answer, one hand rubbing her throat as she looked between the pair and at the activity beyond them. The man with the shaven head watched her quietly, carefully considering her expression.

"I am Ianric," He offered her, "And this is Lord Asmodeus, of Shadowfell."

She glanced at them as he spoke their names, then over her shoulder. As if she might flee, or was looking for someone.

"If you are trying to bide your time until help arrives, let me assure you, there is more than a score of Lord Asmodeus' men patrolling the forest." Ianric told her, a smirk playing across his lips. He crossed his arms. "And I can also assure you, if you would rather forgo pleasantries, Lord Asmodeus would be happy to use a less pleasant method of information extraction." She looked back at him, and he raised an eyebrow. "But perhaps you would be more persuaded by a reward? I assume you can speak?"

She debated that momentarily, trying to decide and weigh her options. Fear tickled at her chest, and she had to keep her hands clenched to keep them from shaking.

"I grow tired of waiting, Ianric." The warlord rumbled.

The man approached her slowly, his mischievous smile thickening her unease. "Let us make this easier on everyone, shall we?" He told her. "Start with your name."

"...Alice.." She said softly after a few moments.

Ianric clapped his hands together in pleasure. "Ah! So she can speak. How wonderful."

"Alice?" Asmodeus echoed. "That is a strange name."

"Where are you from, lady Alice?" Ianric pressed, taking a step closer.

Alice took a step back. "...Far away."

The warlord narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not think yourself clever for avoiding questions." He warned her. "You are merely adding another stone onto your grave."

"You must be hungry, tired." The human offered, extending a hand. "Come, eat with us. Tell us how you came upon this place."

"...No thanks."

Suddenly, Asmodeus snatched her by her neck again, yanking her up to his face. She gasped, her toes dangling just above the ground uselessly. Ianric protested softly but the tiefling ignored him. "Then we shall clap you in irons and put you on the spit yourself." He snarled, his lips so close she could almost feel them move as he spoke. "You have lost the last of my goodwill, girl."

He moved as he spoke, carrying her over to a large tent that had been pitched near the edge of the forest. Alice clawed at his hand, desperately trying to get air into her lungs. He slammed her roughly against one of the poles holding up the tent inside, and her vision spun.

The warlord released her, letting her crumple to the ground, coughing and gasping. He watched her sputter for a moment, rubbing the palm of his hand almost eagerly.

"How did you find this place?"

She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "I just did." she stated hoarsely.

She was rewarded with a sharp kick to her stomach, which had her wrapping her arms around it and falling back to the dirt with a groan.

"It speaks finally. How did you find this place?" He demanded again.

She shook her head, starting to roll back to all fours. "I found it. Same as you."

This kick lifted her off the ground, sending her flying a few feet before knocking into a post again and dropping like a sack. She gasped and coughed, cradling her abdomen and rolling in pain.

"Tell the truth." Ianric suggested, standing by the entrance.

"Are you alone?" Asmodeus walked slowly over to her.

She spat at him. He hauled her up by her hair, throwing her against a wooden table that lined one side of the tent. He chuckled as she spun to face him, her hands braced against the edge of the table.

"How eager you are to receive punishment." He grabbed her neck again, squeezing tightly until she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. "I assure you, I am just as eager to grant that wish." He ran the back of his other hand along her cheek. He loosened his grip on her throat, but pushed her backward, bending her painfully over the table. She gasped and thrashed with her legs. "Who else lives here with you?"

Again she didn't answer, instead tugging at his hand on her throat and trying to kick him. He batted her feet away as easily as one might an irksome fly.

"Get off me!" She grunted hoarsely.

"I will do with you as I please." He declared, hauling her back up until they were nose to nose. "And you will answer your betters." She jerked from side to side, trying to pull away from him. "Where is the power of this place?"

Alice swung her head forward, but he dodged her easily. "Gone." She snarled sarcastically. "You just missed it."

He threw her back to the ground. "How brazen of you." He told her, then kicked her hard in the abdomen again. "But it is a useless bravado." Crouching down, the tiefling grabbed her chin, twisting her to face him. "Who are you really?"

She tried to smack him across the face, but he caught her hand and bent it until she screamed.

"Go to hell!"

He laughed, flipping her over and digging his knee into her stomach. "Tell me what I need to know." With one hand he tugged her shirt until the fabric began to rip. "If you want this to stop, all you need do is answer me." He slid his massive hand beneath her clothing, caressing her stomach and ribs teasingly, pushing up the hem. She twisted and struggled desperately. "Where is it?"

"There's nothing here!" She shouted at him, "Beat me all you want, you're wasting your time!"

"I beg to differ." Piped up Ianric from the entrance, "The strange relics here, while they may hold no power themselves, tell us all we were promised was true." He grinned as Asmodeus stood, dragging her by one arm along the ground. "There is great power to be found here."

"Where have you hidden it, girl?" He demanded, tossing her the last few feet along the dirt ground.

She shook her head, struggling to get her feet under her. "I don't know." She spat.

The tiefling turned to face her, dark smile settling on his lips that sent more shivers down her spine. "You know what it is," He walked back over, grabbing her by the back of the neck with one hand, "You are not very good at keeping secrets, girl."

He brushed the blood off her face with his other hand, wiping it slowly on her chest in dramatic sweeps. Alice tried to shove his hands away and wriggle free. But he tightened his grip.

"Who else knows about this place?"

She gritted her teeth and glared at him. "...Fuck you."

His eyes widened slightly in surprise at her words as he considered their foreignness, then he gnashed his teeth angrily. His backhand sent her back to the ground. Then he crouched down, grabbing a clump of her hair and yanking her head up again. "Next I get my blades." He hissed in her ear, his hot lips right against her flesh.

He pulled her up by her hair, slamming her face first against the post. Sparks danced in her eyes. The behemoth pressed his body against her back, squishing her painfully against the wood. He pressed his lips against her skin again.

"Or perhaps... I have another use for you." He crooned, his voice husky.

The tiefling dragged his lips along her neck, biting her at its base. His hands slid down her thighs, and he ground his hips against her buttocks suggestively. She shook her head, struggling. But he had her completely pinned. Completely surrounded.

"Do you wish to be defiled, lady Alice?" Ianric piped in again, ever lingering in the entrance, watching, "To have your dignity stripped away from you with your clothes? Your honor?" A twisted smile. "Who would want you after that?"

"Perhaps I'll allow you a turn after I've had mine, Ianric." The warlord mused, pulling at her clothes slowly until she could hear the fabric ripping again quietly.

She couldn't stop herself from shaking then, and her legs felt weak. The warlord spun her, slamming her against the thick post so hard her head knocked painfully off it. He grabbed her face with his hand, flexing his fingers into her soft flesh. Pinching her cheeks together.

"Are there others?" Growled Asmodeus, his other hand sliding into the back of her pants.

She wriggled, but he merely pressed himself against her, stilling her struggles. His opposite hand started to push down her pants.

"Tell me!" He hissed against her neck.

The air snapped and crackled about them suddenly, and electricity seemed to flash beneath her skin. The warlord jumped back suddenly with a snarl, clutching his hand and staring at her. Just as suddenly as it had come, the sensation was gone. She held the post behind her to keep herself standing, gasping.

"What in the nine hells was that?" Snarled Asmodeus.

He spun and looked at Ianric, who looked equally confused. He seemed to be searching the air around them, then strode over to the girl. His hands quickly patted her down, searching for pockets, feeling her wrists and neck, checking her ankles and shoes. She wriggled under his touch, but he moved quickly, ignoring her protest, dodging her flailing arms.

When he found nothing, he rose slowly, considering her. "You did not find this place, did you?" He asked her softly.

She was still shaking, her breath ragged as she stared at him.

Asmodeus glared at his subordinate. "What nonsense are you babbling?"

Ianric turned to face the warlord. "She did not find this place." Then he looked back at her. "...She came with it."

Alice steeled her will, tightening her jaw and forcing herself to glare at the pair. She hoped she looked much more intimidating than she felt. Because fear threatened to buckle her over.

Asmodeus approached slowly, and she tensed. "Speak quickly, mage. I have little care for riddles."

"You were seeking the powerful artifact, my Lord?" He questioned, glancing towards the tent's entrance. "It is not that scrap out there. But this girl, right here." He smiled widely at her.

Her head swirled with his words, but she tried to keep the confusion from her face. Asmodeus, for his part, glowered at her thoughtfully. Considering the implications. She nearly crumpled beneath his gaze.

Finally he nodded. "Then we have what we came for. We will depart imme-"

A commotion outside the tent drew their attention, and the warlord strode over to the opening angrily. The sound of ringing metal and shouts was fast growing, and the warlord raised a hand to Ianric.

"Stay here." And with that he departed.

Ianric turned to consider the girl, offering her a smile. "I tried to warn you. Tried to help you." He reminded her, approaching her casually, "I am only here to be of service." He was very close now, and she almost flinched at his unsettling giddiness. "But I can protect you from Asmodeus. I can keep you safe, teach you about the Netherese." His grin was twisted and frightening. "Let me be your ally, nay, your friend. We have much to learn from each other."

He raised his hand as if to stroke her cheek or touch her shoulder, even as she pulled away. But suddenly he shrieked, retracting a bloody stump where there was once a hand. The mage staggered back and Alice looked over at Artemis in surprise as he lunged forward sword first from seemingly nowhere. Ianric pulled an item from his belt with his remaining hand and shouted something, throwing it at the ground even as Artemis charged at him. In a puff of smoke, he was gone.

The assassin quickly spun back. "Let's go." He hissed, grabbing her arm.

He led the way through the slice he had made in the back of the tent, and the two ran into the forest a few feet behind that. A roar announced the approach of a pair of shades, and Artemis quickly pushed her behind him, raising a borrowed sword and dagger.

The first he dispatched quickly, so eager was their charge that they found themselves directly in the path of the assassin's sweeping sword. The other dodged his attack more effectively, coming around the right side of the human's dagger hand with a downward swing of a mighty broadsword. Artemis crossed his weapons, barely blocking the blow with a solid grunt. The shade bared down, trying to force his blade through. For his troubles, he got a boot in the gut, knocking him off balance. Artemis swiped his dagger out, feinting to expose the swordsman's side, then plunged his own sword in deep. The man fell to his knees with a thump.

The assassin didn't waste time to see if he would rise again. Sheathing his borrowed dagger, he grabbed Alice's hand and ran.

She was not sure how long they ran. She lost track of her surroundings, focusing on keeping her feet beneath her. But each breath ripped through her throat and each footfall shot pain through her torso. Finally, Artemis slowed, looking this way and that as he released her hand.

"I _told _you it was dangerous." He snarled, sheathing his sword as she fell against the nearest tree, her back to him. "I _told _you your stubbornness was going to get you killed. You stupid, stupid-"

He cut himself short as she slowly sank to the ground, shaking and gasping for air. One hand clasped at her throat, as if she could hold it open to get more oxygen it. It was already tender to the touch, and her other arm quivered from the effort of holding her up. Midday had come and gone, and as Artemis crouched beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder, it was late afternoon sunlight that fell upon her swollen cheek and bloody lip. She flinched at his touch. A gash had opened at her hairline by her ear, dripping blood steadily down her chin. The skin on her neck was turning purple in the shape of a large hand, and she felt a sharp pain in her side each breath she drew in. She looked up at Artemis, who remained silent as she caught her breath. As he took in each of her wounds, he felt his wrath and rage at the Netherese grow until it was a blazing wildfire in his breast.

"...I'm sorry…" She gasped softly, and her eyes stung with tears. She couldn't seem to stop shaking, even as she leaned back to support herself with her knees. Her lips quivered, her hands shook. She raised those hands to her face, wiping at the blood and dirt there.

"You are safe now." Artemis said finally.

His words broke her, and despite herself, she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. The assassin stiffened at first, his arms out as if unsure and surprised. But then he wrapped them around her, squeezing her to still her shaking.

"We have to keep moving." He told her after a time.

She nodded, and he helped her slowly climb to her feet. She winced, grabbing at her side. Artemis scowled, reaching out to roll up her shirt slightly and reveal the red and purple bruise spreading there.

"Broken rib." He guessed, letting her torn shirt fall back down.

Alice nodded weakly, drawing in a slow breath to avoid the sharp pain. The assassin took her arm gently and led her through the forest. He picked his way around the worst of the trail, finding the easiest walking path. But still the sun was fast sinking and her legs grew weaker and weaker.

When he had to catch her from a stumble for the twentieth time he growled stubbornly. He stepped in front of her and crouched down, grabbing the backs of her knees.

"Hold on." He told her, starting to hoist her up before he had even finished speaking.

She squeaked in surprise, wrapping her arms about his shoulders as he lifted her up onto his back. He settled her comfortably on his lower back with his arms hooked around her legs.

"I can walk." She told him hoarsely.

"You are slowing me down." He argued. "Now hold on and shut up."

She rested her chin on his shoulder weakly. "Where are we going?"

Artemis was indeed able to move much quicker with her on his back, picking his way through a more direct route.

"The others created the distraction so I could get you out." He said, "We are meeting them just beyond the plane."

She nodded, and he couldn't help the goosebumps that rose on his skin from her breath on his neck. Couldn't help noticing that her strangely familiar scent was laced with the smell of blood. It made his scowl deepen. Covering ground even faster and more direct than before, they reached the edge of the trench in short time. Yet despite their speed, he felt her slackening with each step. Artemis made his way carefully down the slope she had shown them earlier, and her head lolled against his shoulder, then jerked before drooping once more. She gave a humming sigh softly, stirring as he skipped down the last stretch. The sun had reached the horizon and was beginning to set as he made it to the opposite side of the trench and back into the forest. A magical, smokeless fire guided him to the campsite.


	5. The one without a name

Jarlaxle stood quickly as they approached, no small measure of relief upon his face. Drizzt moved to help, easing the girl down off Artemis' back. She stirred, having dozed off slightly, and the transfer went almost unnoticed as she rubbed at her eyes. But even as her feet touched the ground, her knees gave, and had the drow not had his arm hooked under her shoulders, she would have completely fallen. She started, seeming to lean out of the drow's helping arm, offsetting his balance as she became more fully awake. Nearly knocking both of them over.

"I've got you." He reassured her softly.

But something about the way her body quivered beside him made those words seem hollow.

"Come, bring her here." Jarlaxle instructed, pointing to a bed roll beside the fire. He clapped Artemis on the shoulder in passing.

Artemis followed the drow somberly as they brought the girl over and gently helped her sit. She leaned against a log heavily, grunting in pain and exhaustion. Jarlaxle crouched beside her, gently pushing her hair back as he assessed her injuries. She flinched at his touch, turning her head away.

The wound on her hairline had stopped bleeding, leaving a trail of caked blood from her temple to her chin, skirting her eye. The opposite cheek was purple and blue, swollen, and hot, with deep cut near the base of that eye. Her neck was turning an even darker shade of purple, with the edges rimmed in angry red. The corners of her eyes were bloodshot, and there was blood in her hair on the back of her head.

Jarlaxle tsked softly as he looked her over, already reaching into his side bag. He offered her the pouch of water as he pulled out a container of salve. She drank slowly with shaking hands.

"Her rib is broken too." Artemis told him softly.

The drow looked to her side where the man pointed. "May I?" He asked her as he reached for her shirt.

She nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry…" She murmured again, her voice raspy and hoarse.

"Don't be." Drizzt reassured her. "We should not have let you go off on your own, it was arrogant of us to think the Netherese were further behind us... We are the ones who should be sorry..."

She shook her head before he had even finished speaking and looked at Artemis guiltily. "You told me to stay. That it wasn't safe…. I didn't listen."

"Hush. You are safe now, and we are glad for it." Jarlaxle reassured her.

Alice couldn't keep herself from trembling, even more so as the mercenary gently rolled up her shirt. Fear pulsed in her veins, making her heart throb painfully. She looked away, blinking back tears, trying to think of something else. Anything else. Her eyes met Artemis' again, and she felt shame squeeze her throat shut as she quickly tore her gaze away almost as soon as it found his. The drow gently applied the cool salve to her skin on her ribs, then laid a cloth over top of it before carefully rolling her shirt down.

Drizzt moved to dab a wet cloth at her bloody wounds, but she flinched so viciously he stopped in surprise.

"I-I'll do it…" She told him, taking the cloth from him gingerly.

"I am afraid I used most of my salves and potions on Artemis." Jarlaxle explained as she carefully wiped at the wound on her hairline. "I used the last of it on your ribs, as that was the most pressing of injuries. But the rest will feel much better in the morning regardless."

He moved to clasp her shoulder, but again she flinched away, avoiding his touch. Shame filled her again, and she shook her head.

"Thank you…." Another shake of her head. "Maybe it'll remind me to listen better next time…"

"I only wish I could do more." He smiled charmingly, "I hate to see a pretty face in pain."

She offered a hollow smile, looking down at the blood stained cloth. Hiding the fear that rippled through her at his words. Biting back tears and trying to still her quivering hands.

"Your other cheek-" Drizzt began to say, reaching for the wet cloth.

"I got it!" Alice snapped, louder than she had intended, snatching her hands back from him before he had even gotten close. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes. "I… got it…"

"We will let you get some rest then." Jarlaxle offered after an awkward silence stretched between them. He gestured to his companion to rise. "In the morning, we will have to salvage what we can. It will not be long until Asmodeus finds this place too."

The others missed the heavy flinch she made when the mercenary said Asmodeus' name. Artemis, however, did not, and he felt his blood boil. She nodded, slowly easing herself to the ground and covering herself with the blanket. The drow stepped away, conversing quietly out of earshot and exchanging concerned looks.

Artemis drifted over slowly, looking at the fire. He sat on the log next to her, one hand on the hilt of his borrowed sword. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Sleep." He told her quietly, "...I will keep watch."

Alice didn't answer, burying her face deeper into her blanket. Seeing him there, out of the corner of her eye…. It helped a bit. Her head felt numb and her whole body throbbed. But her eyes still felt so heavy...

"_I am not sure how much we can uncover before Asmodeus reaches us._" Jarlaxle told the assassin quietly, speaking in his native tongue. "_If she could help us-_"

"_It is too much to ask of her now." _Drizzt interrupted, shaking his head.

Artemis nodded his agreement, looking down at the sleeping woman. She stirred restlessly, her eyes darting behind her closed lids. "_I do not think there is anything to be uncovered._"

The two others regarded him with surprise. When they didn't comment, he finally looked up from her sleeping form. The assassin took in their faces, then shrugged.

"_I overheard the mage speaking with Asmodeus before the distraction._" He told them. "_He believes Alice __**is**_ _the artifact._"

"_How is that possible?_" Jarlaxle posed, shaking his head. "_She is just a girl._"

Artemis sighed, shifting. "_He seems to think she did not find all this… .but came with it._"

That quieted the pair, each taking in what it meant. They all stared at her, wondering if it was possible that such a normal looking human could be from some other dimension.

"_The bodies…"_ Drizzt started, but couldn't find the words to finish.

"_We leave in the morning._" Jarlaxle announced finally, standing and making his way over to his own bedroll. "_If they are hunting for her now, the more distance we put between us and them, the better…. Perhaps we should destroy the rest as best we can."_

Drizzt, nodding his agreement, also stood. Artemis lingered, still sitting next to the sleeping woman, who stirred and shifted in her sleep again. The drow considered him, waiting until he lifted his gaze to meet his eyes.

"Are you not sleeping?" He asked him in the common tongue.

Artemis gritted his teeth. "I am keeping watch."

The ranger raised an eyebrow. "You are watching one very specific thing."

Artemis shot him a dangerous look, so the drow dropped the matter with a shrug. He made his way over to his bedroll and laid down. The assassin continued to stare at her sleeping face, very aware of the eyes on his.

He cast Drizzt a brief, scowling look, and the ranger shrugged again, finally rolling to his other side.

Alice awoke in pain as the first rays of light graced the sky. She sat up slowly, drawing in her breath in a agonized hiss. Her side burned, her throat felt raw. Even her head pounded.

Dazed, she looked about, trying to fight through a sleepy haze. She jumped when Jarlaxle's sleeping form shifted beside the magical fire, and clutched her ribs in pain at the motion. Her side felt like it was on fire, she could hardly move for the pain. She noticed that both drow lay quietly nearby. Their backs were to her, so she couldn't tell for sure if they were asleep, but they seemed to be. Her breath spiraled from her mouth in lazy clouds, and she rubbed her arm with her opposite hand.

Glancing down, she noticed the dirt and blood stained into her knuckles. Each breath was a reminder of her encounter, each stain a stain on her very being. She clenched her hand into a fist, then tried to rub off the dirt. She scrubbed till it hurt, but it felt like she only made it worse. Spreading the stains around the rest of her skin….

Quietly, she stood, easing herself slowly to her feet with a wince. She looked around the quiet campsite again, but no one stirred. Briefly, she wondered where Artemis had gone, but so grateful was she for the solitude, she didn't ponder it long. Instead, she slipped into the woods, away from the crash site, clutching her tender side, legs quivering with the effort of holding her up.

She remembered the path from the last time she had been in the area, though it had changed in the few weeks since she had walked it. But soon the sound of trickling filled her ears, and she followed it.

The deep pools of water swirled at the base of the tiny waterfall. The product of at least five different streams converging into one. Three almost separate pools, a few feet across and three or so feet deep each, drained slowly into each other before slendering into one deeper stream that snaked its way through the forest.

Alice crouched beside the deepest pool, slowly easing her hands beneath its surface. She stared at her fingers under the water, the surface rippling over them. The waters were cool, but still warmer than the air around her. She rubbed the backs of her hands slowly, watching the stains lift away. She began working the water up her arms, scrubbing harder, almost frenzied. Then she splashed the water in her face, ignoring the stinging pain. She splashed again, and again, almost digging her nails into her skin as she desperately tried to wash away the memories. Asmodeus' face flashed before her eyes, and she pressed her palms against them as if to bore the image out.

Dripping, exhausted, she fell back to sit on her bottom, her eyes still covered. She quivered, even as the water snaked down to her elbows and dripped onto her knees. Still shaking, she slowly lowered her hands from her face, staring at her murky reflection in the water. Her cheek was still an angry red, and the gash at the edge of her hair seemed equally irritated. At some point during her frantic splashing, her hair tie had snapped, so her golden blonde hair fell about her like a wild mane.

She drew in another pained breath, then looked down to her side. Slowly, she rolled up her shirt, to find the cloth blood stained and throbbing. A frown settled on her face, and carefully she peeled off the makeshift bandage. It came away slowly, painfully, having started to stick to her flesh with plasma. What before had been nothing more than a black and blue bruise now looked like bubbled flesh and angry puckering, hot to the touch and bloody raw in places. It stung and burned, covering almost her whole left side, and she nearly cried from the pain as she pulled off the last of the bandage.

"The hell?" She murmured, gritting her teeth in anguish.

She dipped her hand in the water, slowly bringing it to her side. Clenching in anticipation, she held her hand over the wound to drip on it. She spasmed in pain as the water rolled over the open sores. It hurt so much she doubled over, wincing and gasping.

"I thought you would have learned your lesson," came an angry voice, "About wandering off on your own."

Alice jumped in surprise, then doubled over again in pain. Artemis walked into her field of view, traditional scowl on his face. She shook her head, trying to roll her shirt down over the wound.

"I was just-"

The assassin caught her wrist, crouching on one bent knee. He looked at the blood soaked bandage, seeming confused, then pushed her hand away. He reached over and took up the edge of her shirt, slowly peeling it up. She cringed and gasped in pain again.

"The hell?" He muttered.

She gave a weak smile. "That's what I said." She said hoarsely.

He reached into his side bag, pulling out a cloth and dropping it in the water. "What did you do?" He growled, "Try to burn off the bruise?"

"I didn't do anything!" She snapped wearily, taking the cloth from him. "I just woke up like this." She hesitated, her hand hovering with the wet cloth just above the burn. "Maybe Jarlaxle mixed up his salve."

Artemis snorted, doubtful. Carefully, she tried to dab at the wound, but flinched away in pain.

She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. "It hurts too much," She gasped, shaking, "I can't..."

"Lay down, and roll up your shirt more." He instructed, snatching the cloth back from her.

She shook her head. "No, it's ok, I-"

"Lay. Down." He ordered firmly. Then he removed his cloak and laid it on the forest floor.

She was still shaking her head. "Artem-"

"Not a request." He interrupted again.

Tears sprung to her eyes. "Pleas-"

The assassin grabbed her wrist, glaring at her. "Do it. Now."

Her hand shook in his grasp, and she winced at his voice. She turned away, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth. He felt a small stab of guilt, peppered with frustration. Artemis sighed, releasing his hold on her. She pulled her hand back, rubbing her wrist.

"Look," he leveled with her, "If it is the salve, we need to clean the last of it off. Even if it's not, the burn needs to be cleaned." He met her gaze as she looked up at him through her lashes. "It is going to hurt. No way around it."

She shook her head, as if to deny his words. Then she looked down at her trembling fingers. "It's….it's not that…" She dropped off.

Again he sighed. "You are dealing with… things….right now," He noted, "I know that, but this needs to get done. So put aside your fear for five minutes, and Lay. Down."

Swallowing hard, shaking from head to toe, she slowly eased herself onto his cloak.

"Onto your side." He instructed her quietly, positioning himself and soaking the cloth again.

She rolled obediently, facing him with her injured side up. Gingerly, she rolled up her shirt as far as she could manage without exposing herself. She held it there and tucked her elbow out of the way.

Artemis squeezed the cloth, and the dripping sent a shiver down her spine. He glanced at her, staring at him out of the corners of her eyes. "...I will try to be quick."

Searing pain filled her as the cloth touched the burning, raw skin on her side. She couldn't help but cry out. Instinctively, she curled, and her free hand grabbed at his leg. Her knuckles on both hands turned bone white as she clenched every muscle in her body. For his part, Artemis moved as quickly and gently as he could. Even through the cloth, he could feel heat rising from the wound, which looked in places as if someone had simply peeled off her skin. The edges seemed to curl, and here and there the skin was still blistering.

"What in the gods' names are you-?" Came a shout, cut off abruptly as Drizzt came into full view of the pair. "What… What…?"

Artemis dropped the cloth back into the water, straightening. "Done for now." He told the girl, whose face was buried in the bend of his knee.

Her knuckles were still white even as she slowly drew herself back. Her breath was ragged and her vision blurred.

"What happened?" Called Jarlaxle, jogging over.

"When did she get burned?" Drizzt exclaimed, shocked. He looked at the assassin, seeing as the woman was still curled in pain.

"Burned?" Echoed the other drow, slowing to a stop. He gaped in surprise at the wound on her side.

"Your salve," Artemis growled, "Did you mix up the jars?"

Jarlaxle looked at the assassin, then Drizzt, wide eyed, then down at the girl. "N-no! I am certain! I put the last of the salve I had used on your injuries." He shook his head, "I have nothing even like a fire salve."

Drizzt crouched by her head, gently reaching for her hand. She looked at him, giving a weak smile. She hesitated momentarily before taking his offered hand fumblingly. He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Perhaps I'm allergic." She mumbled hoarsely, closing her eyes.

"To magical healing salve?" Jarlaxle postulated, exasperated. He shook his head. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Not in this dimension, at least," Artemis returned softly.

That silenced everyone, and Alice looked at each of their faces, reading the realization there. She sighed heavily, wincing as her side flexed. "So, cat's out of the bag."

"What cat?" Jarlaxle asked in confusion.

Slowly, with Drizzt's aid, she sat up. "I mean, you know about me.. Or at least…"

"I heard Ianric say as much." Artemis confirmed.

She didn't answer, but flinched at the name. Leaning back heavily on one hand, She brushed her hair out of her face with her other.

"So it is true?" Asked Jarlaxle, breaking the silence.

Alice looked up at him weakly, then sighed with a tiny shrug. "I've been thinking it may be."

"It may be?" Drizzt echoed, "You do not know?"

She looked at each of their faces. "I… I didn't exactly come here of my own free will…" She offered a small chuckle, "And there are certainly no elves or demons or any of ….. This… where I come from…" She feebly gestured with one hand.

The trio exchanged looks. At a loss for words.

Jarlaxle shook his head, straightening. "This is a conversation for another time. Right now, we need to get Alice out of here." Drizzt helped her to her feet, and Artemis stood, pulling his cloak off the ground. "I was able to reach Kimmuriel, and he can open us a portal to our base in Luskan."

"Is there anything here of value?" Drizzt asked, "Anything Asmodeus should not have?"

She shook her head, suppressing a flinch at the name, pulling away from his supporting arm with a wave of her hand. "It's all useless here… Mostly clothes and bags and things like that. Everything possibly useful was burned up in the crash."

"Good, then let's get out of this godforsaken forest." Grumbled the assassin, catching the girl as she swayed on her feet.


End file.
